The New Girl on the Block
by DragonGolem
Summary: Ranma makes a friend. Sounds simple enough, right? But with our favorite pigtailed protagonist things never stay simple long... Ranma
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2.

Author's Notes: Another day and another great story. Can life get any better? My inspiration is up as if my energy so I promise this will be some of my finest work! This has been used before I'm sure but please bear with me. On with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 1

Let's Get Platonic

The day was bright and sunny. A perfect day for spending time with the people you care about most. Couples were taking this opportunity to have picnics or to go out on the lake at the park. Smiles adorned the faces of everyone as they basked in the sunshine. The only person who wasn't affected by the spirit of this wonderful day was a dejected redhead sitting by the lake. Her eyes roamed over the people there as she drank in the sight. The girl dreamed that it was her and her fiancée sitting out there enjoying one another's company. This unfortunate creature's name was Ranma Saotome. Her clothes were soaking wet from her encounter with the lake.

"Mornings suck." She grumbled. It honestly wasn't her fault this time. Akane had decided to make breakfast but unlike previous times, she was going to do her best to eat it and be nice about it. The pigtailed girl groaned when she remembered her startled reaction to her cooking. It was actually good. When she had exclaimed about the world ending and that the food was good she was sure the mallet would descend, but instead Akane was happy.

"I said it was good." She smiled as she reminisced, but then Nabiki ruined it. She had given her a couple thousand yen and congratulated her on living. What sick game was that? It really made her violent fiancée mad and before she knew it, she was airborne. What a gyp, she thought, here she sat by the water on the most beautiful day of the year and she was miserable. This week was supposed to be better than Golden Week because the Fiancée Brigade was out of town. Shampoo was off with the Old Ghoul training in the mountains and Ukyou was at a family reunion to try and get back on her father's good side.

"What a lousy way to start the week let alone the day." She sighed as she drew her knees up to her chest, a curiously feminine gesture that didn't upset her at all. As a girl she could get away with it and it helped keep her profile low. Drawing attention to herself was never a good idea. Her musings were disturbed by a rustling in the bushes. Her eyes wandered over to the bushes in time to see a wolf emerge from out of the brush. The wolf was beautiful with a honey blonde coat and was clearly a master of all it surveyed. The most striking feature of this beautiful animal was the eyes, one sapphire blue and one emerald green. Despite the obvious size, she felt no fear. This wolf clearly meant her no harm. The curious creature padded up to her silently. Ranma could tell the wolf was female simply because of the way her aura looked but something about her seemed off.

"C'mere girl." She beckoned gently, holding her hand out. Something told her she had no reason to be afraid. Her feelings were confirmed when the wolf approached her, giving her hand a lick. The redhead had to take a moment to relax when she realized just how big her new friend was. She was easily bigger than herself. The wolf turned her head towards the woods and padded off slowly. When she stopped and looked back, Ranma realized that she wanted her to follow.

"Where ya goin'?" she asked as she got to her feet. The wolf didn't even stop as she plunged into the bushes with Ranma hot on her heels. There was a strange freedom associated with running through the forest but before she could get a good rhythm going, the wolf stopped in a clearing. The clearing was home to a tent, a pack, and clothing. The way the clothes were scattered in front of the campfire reminded the girl of something. When the wolf began nudging the backpack open with her nose did things begin to click.

"Jusenkyo!" Ranma exclaimed as she saw the exact same thing that Ryoga would do when he was a pig. The wolf regarded her briefly before giving a slight growl of recognition before returning to her work. The redhead couldn't just stand there and watch without trying to help. It wasn't too hard to get water from the lake using a metal saucepan she found in her new friend's pack, the wolf watching her with a bemused expression. A fire was started so that the water could heat with the girl stirring it to make sure it heated evenly. The wolf's tongue lolled out as she waited for the water.

"I know a lot about Jusenkyo. You see I got a curse there too. I'm really a guy that turns into a girl. My name is Ranma Saotome." She told her new companion. The wolf looked briefly startled but the redhead didn't seem to notice. A crash sounded from the bushes, causing both heads to turn toward the sound. From out of the bushes came a young man wearing a bandanna on his head and a huge backpack. In his hand he carried a large combat umbrella and looked travel weary.

"R-Ryoga…?" Ranma asked in confusion. The sound drew his attention, and with tunnel vision only the truly obsessed possess, he saw her. It didn't matter to him why she was there or what she was doing. Hell, he didn't even see the giant wolf sitting near her side. All he saw was his foe, his rival, his enemy.

"Saotome! Because of you I've seen Hell! Prepare to die!" he roared out in his time-honored, heavily clichéd manner and readied for the attack. So startled was she, that the pigtailed girl didn't even jump to her feet. What startled both youths was the tremendous wolf leaping between them with a ferocious snarl.

"Hold on a sec! Don't do anything rash!" Ranma tried to caution her but the powerful creature merely lowered her body and prepared for battle. Ryoga sneered at the pitifully deluded beast but he had no desire to hurt anything other than his opponent. The decision was taken from him by the wolf leaping upon him before kicking off again with her back legs, razor-sharp back claws slashing through his shirt and staggering him.

"What the…? How did that happen?" Ryoga asked in confusion as he saw the wolf get ready to attack again. His gaze traveled to Ranma with a curious expression but quickly got rid of it with a shake of his head. He lowered the umbrella and prepared to charge his adversary again only to find his efforts thwarted by a fierce head butt to the side of his leg, causing it to buckle from the sudden loss of nerve function. With a mighty roar of anger, he swung his fist to the side only to narrowly miss his target by inches as the wolf nimbly leapt aside.

"Stop you baka! She's a person not a wolf!" Ranma tried to reason with the Lost Boy again but he wasn't listening. The water had heated up to boiling but this wasn't the time for worrying about pain as she upended the whole pot over her head, becoming male in the process. The scalding water helped him focus his mind as he stood up just in time to see the wolf get struck with the umbrella and hurled into a tree. The mighty beast got back up in time to see Ryoga looming over her and whimpered. A dark shadow reared up behind the boy and an ear-splitting crack was heard as fist met flesh. The Lost Boy rocketed into the trees but easily rolled to his feet some distance away.

"Saotome…?" he asked in confusion. The person before him was anything but the person he knew. For one thing, the Ranma he knew shouldn't have been able to hit that hard or sneak up on him that well. The pigtailed boy in front of him was giving him a glare that would have made Herb and Saffron run for the hills. He dropped his pack in preparation for the fight but as soon as it hit the ground, a fist was buried in his gut. When he looked down to stare at the blow, the only thing he could see was Ranma's forearm.

"I said stop. She's a victim from Jusenkyo. You didn't listen." Ranma finished before firing a burst of ki into his stomach, folding him in half and tossing through the air. Not even caring where his foe landed, he turned around to check on his new friend. Ryoga landed in the bushes some distance away. He had a lot of time to reflect on what had just happened considering that both his legs were broken and it seemed that even he could get lost just flying through the air considering it looked like arctic tundra.

"…I really hate you Saotome…" he muttered as he slumped into unconsciousness.

-Back at the camp-

Even in his male form she was an impressive beast. He kneeled down beside her and felt sad when she tried to shy away, but quickly realized that this was the girl from earlier and relaxed. The wolf was groaning slightly from the blow she took but when he felt her to check the extent of the injuries, he was pleased to note that she wasn't hurt all that badly. He gently rubbed between her ears eliciting a mock growl at such treatment before he realized that the water was gone. With a shrug he gathered up her belongings and decided it would be better to change her back at home.

"I'm takin' you home with me. There won't be as many baka there to stop me and I'm sure you'll like everybody. Except my Pop…but don't try to bite him. I bet he don't taste good." He grinned to let her know he was joking and was rewarded by an eye roll which let him know that he was right. What surprised him was how well she could fight even as a wolf. The natural speed and power of an animal coupled with human intelligence led him to understand why the Musk did what they did even if he did think it was wrong. The wolf got to her feet and gave her tail a few swishes to let him know she was happy before trotting up to him.

"Ready to go? Good. We're gonna have to run fast to avoid the usual problems I have just being me." Ranma said with a smile as he prepared to sprint with the wolf crouched low beside him, the incident of before seemingly forgotten. With a fierce cry he took off running at full speed with his furry companion at his side. The trees flew past as the pair dodged and weaved through the woods before emerging in the park again. Without even slowing down they barreled out of the park and down the street feeling the wild thrill of the run surging through their veins. It was easy to forget your problems when you were doing something fun and sharing a good run was enjoyable to the Saotome heir.

-At the Dojo-

The exhausted duo made their way wearily through the back door. The wolf seemed to smirk at the soaked redhead beside her, but aside from that she seemed to be genuinely happy. It wasn't often that she got such a workout and the experience made her smile. She gave the wolf a fond ruffle between the ears, but the moment was soon ruined by an unlikely source.

"Oh my, Ranma-kun! You're soaking wet! Would you like hot water and a towel?" Kasumi asked with a smile. She took notice of the massive animal beside the diminutive redhead and her smile seemed to wan a little until she noticed how friendly the wolf was.

"Hot water would be great but I'll get that from the furo. Uh…wait I got a better idea. My friend here will take the furo and I'll take the hot water." She seemed pleased with this conclusion but the confused look on Kasumi's face made her realize that she had to supply a reason. The wolf also looked a bit confused at the mention of a "furo".

"Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that. My friend is actually a human. I figured that out shortly after we met in the park." Ranma said with a smile. The gentle girl's face cleared and her smile came back.

"Ah, that makes perfect sense, but judging by the puzzled look I imagine she doesn't know what a furo is. Could you show her?" Kasumi asked. Before the redhead could respond, the eldest Tendo sister had already gone into the kitchen. With a start, the girl realized that sweet and kind Kasumi had just manipulated her. The girl chuckled softly at the strange turn before snapping her fingers and leading the wolf to the furo.

"A furo is a place where a person can take a hot bath. Usually you use a cold bucket of water and a quick scrub before you get in. It's not nice to make it dirty cuz then Kasumi has to do more work. I don't care what other people do but I won't make more work for her." She said with a nod. The wolf was surprised at what she was being told because Ranma was talking to her like a person and not like an animal. It didn't matter who knew about her curse they always adopted the same way of speaking, but her fellow curse victim seemed to understand. Ranma made sure that the sign was placed outside the door and that the wolf's pack was set inside the furo room. The steaming water was inviting but she was conditioned from similar times. Before she could tell her friend to climb in, the door opened and Akane stepped in dressed in only a towel.

"Ranma! What are you doing bringing an animal in here?" she demanded. After that morning she suspected something perverted but a low growl got her attention. She stared in shock at the honey blonde wolf beside her erstwhile fiancé. The beast looked as if it would tear her apart in a second. She couldn't figure out what triggered it until Ranma got her attention.

"Put that mallet away. She's been attacked once already so I think she's a bit leery of people with weapons." The redhead suggested. The violent girl looked at her hand in shock just in time to see the mallet. Sheepishly, she made it vanish. The animal gave her a snort and turned back to Ranma as if seeking praise. Ranma laughed at her antics before directing her to the furo.

"Wait…Why are you washing your dog in the furo?" she asked curiously only to have the wolf give her another glare.

"Careful, 'Kane. She's really a person just with a Jusenkyo curse. She's confused about the furo. Since you're here you can show her how to use one and I remain in the house longer than half an hour. Er…didn't mean to say that…" the redhead looked sheepish before turning to her new friend.

"Play nice. She's not really a bad person and she is nice. Sometimes." That last muttered under her breath so softly that only the wolf's ears could hear. Akane seemed stunned by the compliment giving Ranma the time needed to escape and get her own hot water. The door shut and broke the spell.

"So…you don't know how to use a furo?" Akane asked nicely in the awkward silence that followed.

-Downstairs-

Ranma was having a late lunch in the kitchen with Kasumi. The gentle girl hadn't had time to eat either so the silence was companionable and not uncomfortable. Kasumi had asked how his day had gone but since the events of that morning and after were a little upsetting to the kind-hearted girl, Ranma gave her the abridged version. She laughed softly as he described the thrill of the run.

"That does sound like a lot of fun." She commented.

"It was. I've never run with a wolf before. What an amazing experience! She ran me into the ground and looked like she could run another twenty miles. I can't wait to actually talk to her. She's probably really cool and would make a good friend." The last part said a little wistfully, making Kasumi tear up slightly but she wiped the moisture away before her meal companion could notice. The uncomfortable silence welled up until it was broken by a loud cry from the direction of the furo. Without a word, the two ran towards the noise and burst into the room on the strangest scene either of them could remember and that's saying a lot.

The situation is as follows. It was unclear what started it but apparently something happened which resulted in Akane being chased by an angry gaijin girl with honey blonde hair and distinctive eyes. One eye was sapphire blue and the other was emerald green. Those eyes helped Ranma recognize the girl immediately. She was somewhat taller than Akane but just shy of his height. The girl was obviously well proportioned but the sight didn't make him as nervous as it should have. Akane spotted the two of them and made a beeline for Kasumi and hid behind her, obviously shaken. Ranma jumped in front of the charging girl and grabbed her with both arms. As soon as his arms settled on her, she calmed down. The girl was trembling slightly from rage but it was manageable now.

"What happened here?" Kasumi asked in confusion as she felt her sister clutching at her back.

"Good question." He replied as he noticed the nude girl he currently held but made no move to let go since he was unsure of what her reaction would be.

"Akane, what happened here?" the gentle girl asked her shaken sister.

"I was minding my own business, doing as that baka fiancé of mine asked, when she asked what kind of guy he was. I told her the truth that he's an inconsiderate, chauvinistic, perverted pig that can't even get his words right. She got her answer and then started chasing me around the furo like she was going to kill me!" Akane exclaimed, surprised that such a thing could happen to her.

"Oh puh-lease…You act soooo innocent when you insulted a person who wasn't even there to defend himself. Why? Is he really as bad as you say? I doubt it because he went out of his way to help me when he didn't even know me. I could just as easily have tried to hurt him when he was a girl but I wanted to be nice and he rewarded me for it. Don't you **dare** say anything bad about him around me again or you'll regret it you martial arts wannabe." The girl spat in obvious anger causing Akane to rock back slightly from the harsh tone.

"Oh my, Akane did you really say all that?" Kasumi asked her sister. When the girl nodded mutely, her older sister pinched the bridge of her nose as if a migraine was coming on. Ranma groaned as he looked down at the irate girl, unconsciously rubbing her back softly causing the girl to respond with a sleepy smile. He didn't want to ponder the implications of that smile but since she was calm he decided to worry more later.

"Uhm…We don't know your name…" Ranma said tentatively. The girl blinked as she was brought from her slight stupor and blushed slightly.

"I'm Katrina Marx. Just call me Kat." She grinned at him. The name surprisingly enough didn't bother him like it should but the name definitely made him snicker slightly. The girl seemed pleased that he was laughing since it meant he got the joke. Her Japanese was a little rough but understandable, better than Shampoo's.

"Pleased to meet you Kat, I'm Kasumi and this is Akane. Our sister Nabiki isn't home at the moment but you'll meet her later." The girl said. From downstairs a voice could be heard calling up.

"Boy! We're leaving on a training trip immediately! Get your things packed!" Genma's panicked voice could be heard. Ranma sighed as he let go of Kat and told them he would deal with the old man. As soon as he left, the two girls realized they were naked the entire time.

"Why couldn't the pervert tell us, huh?" Akane huffed as she went for her things. Kasumi sighed and sat down to make sure they didn't fight anymore.

"Oh hush. He's not a pervert because if he was don't you think he would have tried an 'accidental' grope? The definition of a pervert seems to be based on a whim to you and frankly I don't care for it. Why can't you be more mature about it? You're his fiancée for crying out loud so where's the trust? Children like you drive me crazy." The girl said.

"I'm no older than you!" Akane exclaimed.

"In attitude you're just a child in an adult's body. I'm sorry if you don't want to hear that but it's the truth. He deserves someone better." Kat replied.

"Like you?" she spat out snippily.

"Not me per se, I'm not adverse to the idea, but y'know like…Kasumi. He told me about a lot of the stuff going on. I think Kasumi's a better choice." She told the fuming girl. At the mention of her name, Kasumi blushed a deep red.

"How dare you suggest that pervert should be with my sweet sister? He's an animal!" she exclaimed. At the word 'animal' the girl bared her teeth in a strange snarl.

"Watch it kid, you're trying my patience. From everything I've heard no one is innocent except your sister. His father is a piece of trash and so's yours cuz he's such a coward. The old master is a jackass who needs to be thrown to the wolves, no pun intended, and the old woman needs to be brought down a few pegs. His fiancées are a joke and even his supposed friends! If I had the same power that he does I would have pounded all of you into the ground and left." She said to the girl as the two of them dressed, watching with clinical detachment as she became more enraged. Kasumi could sense something was about to happen as she noticed the girl straighten up. Her hair was pulled back in a long braid, wearing a somewhat loose mid-riff shirt with long flared sleeves. Her pants were tight flares. Since she was indoors she knew enough not to put her shoes on. Akane was fully dressed and looked like she was spoiling for a fight.

"Now cut it out you two." Kasumi said sternly.

"Sorry, Tendo-san." Kat blushed slightly, pretty sure that she fouled up somewhere.

"It's just Kasumi dear but you shouldn't be goading anyone to fight." The girl said before leveling a stern gaze on her sister, but it seemed to bounce off.

Without warning, without a sound, Akane rushed at the girl with full intent to pound her into the floor for insulting Kasumi the way she did. Kat didn't even turn around as she dodged her head to the side, the fist passing by with millimeters to spare but the return elbow to the stomach wasn't blocked, knocking the air out of her lungs. The shocked girl tried to get back up but strong hands seized her by the front of her shirt and lifted her easily up to eye level.

"Don't you dare attack me from behind again or I will seriously hurt you. My reflexes are excellent but my nerves are bad so I react a little too strongly to being sneaked up on. Being a wolf part time has advantages." She told the shocked girl after setting her down and tapping her ear.

"If you are quite finished." Kasumi said to Akane in a slightly irritated manner she turned and left the room. Kat had the vague feeling that she had lost that encounter as well.

-Elsewhere-

The scene that greeted him was so familiar that he almost laughed out loud at the way his pops ran around trying to get everything together for a long trip away from home. His mom was nowhere around so that meant that apparently she was being left in the dark about this trip. The main thing that kept him from laughing was that Pops didn't get this anxious unless the heat was on or there was something he was sure Ranma would disapprove of. It turned out to be the latter.

"What the hell's goin' on Pops?" he asked tiredly. It wasn't that he actually cared except for the fact that stuff like this tended to blow up in his face.

"W-what are you talking about, boy?" the old man asked, sweating visibly. His actions and mannerisms could be easily read if you knew what to look for but extreme agitation made him easier still.

"Who did ya piss off now?" Ranma asked, getting annoyed.

"No one, alright? Now let's get packed and leave. I got some new techniques to teach you." His father said in a reasonable manner that he didn't fall for at all. In his haste, he dropped his journal causing papers to explode out of the book. One paper fell close to the irritated boy's feet. Despite his father's mad grab, he was still too slow to stop his son from scooping the paper up.

"What's this?" he asked with a smirk as he prepared to read the paper. It looked like a contract of some sort. Whatever it was it looked professionally done and iron clad. The pertinent part was the agreement between two parties. When he read the agreement his blood ran cold.

It was a marriage contract.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: First chapter is ready to go! I decided to forgo the usual prologue in favor of getting right into the meat of the story. Sure the idea's been done before but I hope to bring something new to the mix. I would like to thank everyone who reads my work and I ask as always for you to be kind. Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: The response has been better than I expected and thank you to all of you who wrote me a review. I dedicate this chapter to all of you (so hopefully this turns out better than the last). Thank you again and let's get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 2

Crazy Days in Nerima

In a certain house, in a certain part of Tokyo, there lived a dysfunctional group of people that was lumped together by a common goal and purpose. Sadly it was nothing as great as saving the world or mutually supporting one another in a loving environment, but it was something some believed to be worthwhile. It was with the purpose of joining two schools of martial arts that they were together and to further this goal the fathers were to get their heirs married. Yet there was a major roadblock on this highway to success and that was Genma's own greed. The foolish patriarch of the Saotome Clan, in his youth, had met a man who had promised to help him become the greatest martial artist in the world. Unlike how the story was told, it wasn't Happosai who originally sparked his interest, but a man by the name of Alexander Marx. In fighting circles he was called Alexander the Great in regard to his amazing wins against impossible odds. Well, Genma had selfish dreams of fight promotions, fame, wealth, and women. The good man had an idea that the young man was a dishonorable lout and wouldn't be swayed. However, he promised something that the pinnacle of the fighting world couldn't pass up. Genma offered him his first born in a marriage contract to strengthen the Art. Okay, it wasn't exactly the brightest of all ideas on either mans' part, but when the testosterone runs high the brain takes a back seat. It was with this contract that Genma's training had begun, but before the end of even the first week his good friend Soun had said that he found a greater master and lured his friend away from the good man. Lured him to the Dark Side, or as he's better known, Happosai.

That may seem like the end of the story but it wasn't. It hadn't bothered the man a wit when his young pupil had run away because he still had what he needed. In his haste to leave, the foolish pupil had left behind the original contract, and thus our story begins. The story truly begins with the marriage agreement. The good man was still a fool for going through with the agreement but he taught his daughter daily to become one of the greatest of her generation and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. On her day of destiny, he revealed the marriage pact and charged the young girl with finding her future husband as a matter of honor.

The doctors say his bandages will come off next Tuesday.

She followed what clues she could and arrived at Jusenkyo not even a week after the Saotomes left. Upon reading the register, her heart plummeted. The closer she got the worse she felt because she wanted nothing to do with either of them but her honor demanded that she find them. Upon exiting the shack, the Guide accidentally bumped into her, and she ended up falling face-first into one of the smaller springs. When she emerged, the girl discovered that she was not human anymore and reacted accordingly.

The Guide was not seen again for several months.

Yet with the change in form, her worries about how she would avoid dangerous animals disappeared because by nature, she was the most dangerous thing out there. She was the size of an abnormally large wolf, in Dungeons and Dragons terms she was a Dire Wolf, and had the intelligence of a human. The neo-wolf managed to gather her clothes, put on her backpack, and took off at a dead run. She knew from reading a book inside the hut that the reversal for the curse was hot water so it didn't bother her too much. Part of her wished that it was permanent so that she could avoid her fate forever but at least it might make them shun her. At this point shunning was preferable to marriage. The ocean posed no problem. Her backpack was waterproof and she was trying to avoid her duty as long as possible so she set off swimming. Martial arts training coupled with an animal's superior power made the trip dishearteningly short.

Shortly outside of Nerima she managed to turn back to her human form and decided to enjoy a night sleeping in her tent. An unseen hole in the roof of her tent let in the cold rainwater. She cursed whoever was listening but all that came out was a vaguely demonic snarling sound. This was not her year.

Now back to the present.

-Present-

Dinner time at the Tendo house was usually filled with chatter and violence, but tonight the threat of violence made even Nabiki look as if she was about to crack. The cause of all this hostility was none other than Genma Saotome. Apparently he had done something so stupid that it even made his former sparring partner and best friend angry at him. The Saotome patriarch knew what he did wrong and was, for once, genuinely repentant. The contract meant that the Tendo/Saotome agreement was null and void. It was made a whole year before theirs was. The panda had some explaining to do.

"Let me get this straight. You knew of the existing agreement between you and this Marx guy and you still engaged my sister to your son?" Nabiki asked. She was truly shocked at what she heard. The other engagements could be taken care of but this was not going away.

"I really don't want to marry anyone. I just want to be friends y'know? It doesn't matter to me…" Kat protested feebly for the thousandth time but it seemed as if no one was listening. The young girl seemed close to tears. A battle she could handle but she hated high conflict. She rubbed tears from her eyes as she thought of the chaos she had just created. Ranma was sitting beside her and noticed her crying. He gently took her hand to comfort her, his lessons from Kasumi paying off.

"Saotome, how could you? A matter of honor should not be sullied like this. You have ruined the agreement and ruined this poor girl's honor. My own daughter's honor has been tarnished by this as well. I turned a blind eye to the other agreements you made but this is one too many and holds too much weight to be ignored." The Tendo patriarch said his voice stern and harsh.

"B-but I forgot! Weren't we both drunk when we made our pact? How was I supposed to remember anything! Besides, we're friends so it held more importance to me." Genma was clearly stumbling for something to say and managed to shoot himself in both feet at the same time. Quite a feat for a guy with less common sense than a pile of dung.

"Oh that makes it so much better! I'm sure she feels just great hearing that one since you're clearly disregarding her honor." Ranma's mother, Nodoka, said with some heat. The pigtailed boy was sitting close enough to Kat to hear her begging them not to fight but it seemed as if it had taken on a life of its own. He could also feel Akane's stare on him as he held her hand. It didn't help that he was doing nothing wrong because he was always wrong, oftentimes for just existing.

"What are you doing you baka? She's trying to break us up and you're being nice to her!" Akane shouted. That managed to pierce the atmosphere around the table. In the deafening silence that ensued, Kat could be heard sniffling sadly and Ranma trying to calm her down. To the idiot fathers it looked as if he was already making his choice so it was decided that something should be done immediately. Genma suggested she be thrown out immediately but that was countered by Soun suggesting he be thrown out instead. Before it could go much further, Nabiki came up with a great idea.

"I know what we could do. Each claim is equally valid since both of them are on paper and easily seen by a court so we can solve it this way. Since Akane and Kat are both martial artists they can fight it out. The winner gets Ranma." She said with a smirk until she saw Kasumi's apprehensive look. Something told her that she just made a monumental error.

"Fine! I'll beat her. I'm one of the best martial artists in Nerima." Akane declared proudly but deflated at her oldest sister's wince. The incident in the furo was long forgotten in the heat of the challenge. Even if she had remembered, she would have done it anyway.

"…Why do you let them fight over you like you're a trophy?" Kat asked Ranma quietly. The question threw him off but it started him thinking. He had no idea when it started but it made him think of why he did and he saw no reason why, but before he could open his mouth his mother spoke for him.

"It is a manly thing to have so many women after him and I'm sure he wants to be manly." She said with a faint smile at the question. Kat bristled at the statement. It infuriated her how their lives had been decided for them before they were even born or even conceived. Her lips peeled back in a faintly animalistic snarl.

"Fine! If you're all so dead set on it then I'll fight her but on one condition." She said to the stunned table.

"A-and that is…?" Soun Tendo asked.

"That if I win he decides whether he marries me or not. I will not let someone else decide anyone's fate. That is for each person to decide. I'm taking the challenge of my own free will so don't call me a hypocrite. When do we fight?" she asked belligerently. Everyone was shocked at the statement, but no one was more surprised than Ranma.

"W-what about your honor?" he asked, his mouth dry. She turned a sad smile to him and shrugged.

"Do not let that concern you. Do what you want with your life and don't worry about other people's thoughts. This is what I want to do." She said. The pigtailed boy looked thoughtful when she finished her statement.

"Well, the fewer people who know of this the better. We'll do it tonight." Tendo said before Nabiki could get the yen signs in her eyes. The mercenary frowned at her father but he remained oblivious. It was agreed that it would be after dinner. Akane seemed to await the fight eagerly. In contrast, her opponent looked apprehensive at the prospect. Ranma didn't know what to think about what happening. It was happening so fast that he had no time to register the changes but one thing was made abundantly clear. Tonight everything would change.

-In the Dojo-

The fight would take place out in the dojo. Akane was wearing her normal gi and was obviously ready to fight. Kat was dressed in her normal clothes. Her head was lowered, a tear trailing down her cheek at what was about to happen. The decision was hers alone to fight or back off, but she chose to fight. She couldn't afford to go easy on her. It was up to her to make a strong statement to convince everyone to leave them alone. She felt sorry for Akane because tonight would shatter her illusions of grandeur. Her fists clenched, tiny spheres of ki swirled around her hands and trailed up her arms. She raised her head slowly, letting the blue ki swirl through her eyes, turning them a solid blue. She was a wolf. A child of nature. Ki was the lifeblood of the planet and she had a direct pipeline to power.

"You understand that the first person to be knocked unconscious or incapacitated is the loser? Good. Enough! Fight!" Soun declared as he got out from the center of the floor.

It was clear to Kat that Akane couldn't see ki flows so she didn't know to be afraid of the manifesting will of her combatant. However, she could see the red haze around Akane as her aura manifested, but the intensity of it didn't bother her in the least.

"Do we have to do this?" the girl asked with trepidation. She wasn't afraid for herself but for her opponent. In that last moment she thought about simply forfeiting but she caught a glance at Ranma and decided to stick with it.

"Go on and quit. I'm sure no one will think less of you." Akane said in a slightly condescending tone that only served to infuriate Kat. The violent girl smirked slightly when she saw that the girl was off balance and rushed in for the attack. Her opponent snarled softly as she watched the girl's slow approach and decided to end it with a spinning back kick to the chest that Akane readily ran into. The aggressor was airborne before she realized she had been attacked and crashed into the ground with tremendous force. The dojo was stunned into silence as they watched Akane try to get back to her feet shakily despite the brutality of the counter.

"Someone call the match! I can't hit her any harder or she'll be hurt!" Kat pleaded. She saw Ranma getting ready to add his opinion but his traitorous father slammed him over the head with a "Go Akane" sign. This was not looking good as she tried to find someone rational but a blow to the side of the head cancelled her thoughts and sent her to the floor. She tried to get back up but a sharp kick to the ribs popped her into the air before she hit the ground again, narrowly rolling away from a heel stomp. This was not going as well as she thought it would as she tried to get back to her feet. Her vision was blurred by tears but she could see the red haze growing in fury as Akane walked towards her. This was not going to end well. Someone was at the very least going to have some broken bones.

"Akane stop! She can barely stand!" Kasumi said frantically, she didn't want her sister to be a killer. Nabiki stood back with her lips thinned as she thought about some of the things she had done to little sister. Seeing her this angry wasn't good for her mental health.

"Why don't you stop this?" Nodoka asked Tendo in concern but he merely watched impassively as his youngest prepared to finish the match. Her husband seemed more interested in a painful outcome for the one who he blamed for all of this.

"A-Akane…stop…I d-don't want to do this…" Kat tried again through the pain to reason with her but it was no good. The violent tomboy rushed her with her fist cocked back and low with her other hand up to guard but figured she wouldn't need it. When she got close, her opponent suddenly snapped back to the alert. Her left foot was slammed forward with her right foot swinging around in a wild kicking motion which Akane leaped away from but it turned out to be a feint. With a wild cry, she stomped her right foot down and threw her fist forward so fast it blurred before impacting heavily on Akane's hastily raised guard. The loud crack of snapping bone echoed through the dojo. Kat seemed to recoil in shock at what just happened before rushing toward her fallen opponent but her family reached her first. With a weary sigh, she slumped to the ground. She knew she expended a lot of her own reserves to win but win she did. Her eyes found Akane cradling her broken arm from her position on the floor, her face scrunched up in pain with tears pouring from her eyes. This was the reason she hated needless fighting. No matter who won both lost. The loser lost face and the winner lost another part of their humanity she believed. It didn't bother her that she was an animal but she tried to be a compassionate one. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie and she looked up to see Ranma. He was rubbing the back of his head from when his father hit him but otherwise he looked alright.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. She nodded in response even though on the inside she was far from okay. Her hands became very fascinating as she felt him sit beside her. This was neither the time nor the place to be thinking of such thoughts as fiancées and battles but she couldn't help but grimace at the current problem.

"Boy! Check and see if your fiancée is alright!" Genma ordered but the look he received from the fruit of his loins sent him scurrying for cover near Nodoka. When he heard the steely rasp of her katana it became clear that she was angry as well. With a yelp of fear, he took off at a dead run into the night.

"Son, is she alright?" Nodoka asked Ranma as she walked over. Despite Kat's best efforts, she had fallen asleep against his shoulder. Ranma looked strangely protective of her.

"Yeah, just tired I guess. H-how's Akane?" he asked with trepidation.

"Her arm is broken. At least it was a clean break so it should heal fine. Nabiki has called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. I think we may want to leave for now. Soun has suggested that we come back tomorrow." She informed her son. The pigtailed boy hardly seemed surprised. After setting Kat on the floor gently, he went upstairs to pack a few things as well as grab his father's belongings. Luckily, the old man had already packed up everything of value so it didn't take him long to get his belongings together. He managed to strap one bag to the other and put them both on his back. When he got downstairs he added Kat's bag to the growing amount of weight. His mother was surprised at his efficiency and considered another sign of how manly he was.

"Stupid pops…No matter where we go we have to leave again. Why do you always screw things up?" Ranma asked himself as he carried Kat out the door with his mother right behind him. Never looking back to the place he once called home.

-Saotome Residence-

Some time later on the other side of the ward, two women walked up to a quaint little house. One of them was an attractive auburn haired woman that looked much younger than she really was. The other was a weary little redhead carrying two massive packs and one smaller pack on her back and a giant wolf in her arms. The wolf was easily twice her size. It still amazed the older of the two how much her son was a water magnet and to find out about Kat's curse this way was quite a sight. An air-conditioner exploded and chilled water splashed her manly son and the rather tall gaijin girl turning them into girl and wolf respectively.

"This is a usual occurrence for you?" Nodoka asked her son-turned-daughter as they entered the house. The smaller girl panted heavily as she brought in her load. As gently as she could, she set Kat on the floor in the living room before dropping her bags with a tremendous thud. She answered when she got her breath back.

"Y-yeah…This is normal for me. Well, the whole carrying a wolf across the ward isn't but still…" she shrugged with a small smile that tugged at her mother's heart. How could she deny her son the right to live when he put up with so much on a daily basis? He wasn't manly, he was a survivor, and what she was trying to hold him to was unrealistic. Little did the redhead know that her suffering was the reason for her mother's change of heart. The small girl sat down on the floor, stroking Kat's furry side, marveling at the softness.

"I'll get us some tea and hot water for you and Kat." His mother said with a smile as the redhead nodded sleepily. With a slight spring to her step she went into the kitchen. A small part of her felt bad for Akane but a greater part was ecstatic. With that violent girl out of the picture it was only a matter of time before her son was off the marital auction block. She busied herself with preparing the tea and thoughts of grandchildren dancing in her head. Maybe he would choose Kat, maybe he wouldn't, but either way she was happy that his life was finally his own. Her biggest regret was the stupid seppuku agreement. No, it was actually letting her idiotic husband take her son that she regretted the most. The kettle began to whistle signaling that the water was ready. After preparing the tea, she dropped a few ice cubes into the water to cool it down to tolerable levels. With a sigh, she carried the tray out into the living room and smiled at the sight before her. She set the tray down and grabbed her camera since she had so few pictures of her child sleeping and this one was adorable. The little redhead was sound asleep, curled up next to the giant wolf, her head resting on the gently heaving side with her hand placed as if to stroke the soft fur. The massive creature was slightly curled with her head resting alongside the diminutive girl's leg and her tail lying across the girl's waist.

"Sleep tight dears." She whispered as she set a blanket on her daughter and stroking the great beast's head before heading to bed as well. The smile never once leaving her face.

-Next morning-

Breakfast at home was something that Ranma hadn't experienced since he was a little boy. Even if the house had been rebuilt, it had been reconstructed using the original building plans so in a sense, it was the same place. The smell of breakfast cooking made the neo-girl open her eyes and smile. She stretched contentedly at the great sleep she got, wondering why her pillow felt so warm and had soft…fur? Ranma looked over to the massive head of her obvious bedtime companion and realized they were still downstairs. Last night came back to her with a sudden explosion of images. One thing stood out from the maelstrom and that was that Kat had won, but the circumstances of her win were also remembered. Her eyes found Kat's big blue eye since the head was half turned away but they shared the same thought. The redhead did something totally girlish and kissed her on the muzzle.

"It wasn't your fault." She whispered to her friend. The wolf seemed a little comforted and even gave her cheek a big lick making the girl giggle. Ranma knew that at times she acted more girlish in her female form so it didn't bother her as much as it used to. Cologne once suggested that stress could be the trigger since it seemed that Shampoo acted more cat like when she was upset. Maybe strong emotion did it because she certainly didn't feel stressed right now.

"Breakfast is ready dears. Would you like your hot water now?" Nodoka asked the two pleasantly as she came into the living room. It wasn't just to tell them about breakfast, however, it was also to remind Ranma that he had school that day. Since he was going, he could help Kat get enrolled. With a groan, the pigtailed boy realized the kind of havoc that would happen when he got to school with a new girl in tow. Kat sat beside him at the breakfast table after being restored and tried to ease his mind. She didn't want to be a problem for him so she tried to convince his mother to let her stay there but she wouldn't budge. Nodoka informed her that she had to get a good education and she was probably behind since she had to leave to find her errant husband and son.

"But I don't want to be a bother…" Kat protested but Ranma surprised everyone, including himself by declaring that she wouldn't be a problem. Since there was nothing else to do, they ate breakfast in silence. The Saotome matriarch said that she would be around the school as soon as she called Nabiki and got her help.

"She won't have a problem. I talked to her last night. Don't worry dear, she doesn't blame you. Akane has a problem with her temper I found out. Please don't be angry." The older woman said to the blonde-haired girl. The girl in question made sure she understood that she wasn't all that upset and was rewarded with a bright smile. The only one who knew she was just being nice was Ranma. He could tell that she was deeply upset by what happened but was putting up a good front.

"Hey, we gotta get goin'. We got a longer trip ahead of us." The pigtailed boy said as he got up from the table. Kat followed after him. With a hasty goodbye to his mother the two youths practically flew out the front door and took off at a dead run for the school.

-On the way to school-

She wasn't as fast as her wolf side but her speed was impressive nonetheless, Ranma reflected. Akane wasn't even half as fast as her so this trip should actually be shorter despite it being a longer way. The wind whipped past as the two of them kept pace with each other. The teens couldn't help smiling and laughing like maniacs at the startled expressions of the people they passed. Ranma looked up to the sky and decided that today wasn't going to be all that bad. They would have to deal with Kuno and the Hentai Horde, maybe, but Ukyou wouldn't be there and neither would Shampoo. Without warning, Ranma suddenly stopped as he remembered the wager made last night. Kat found herself running alone and jogged back to her running partner.

"What's up Ranma? Why'd ya stop?" she asked breathlessly, her face wreathed in a smile.

"…It's about last night." He replied. At the mention of the night before, her face fell, but she quickly plastered a smile on her face.

"What about it?" she asked curiously. The night was vivid to her and hard to forget. She broke a girl's arm and used more force than she should have. If she hadn't been so hesitant then Akane wouldn't have been hurt as badly.

"I've made my choice." He announced. Ranma was a little unsure of his decision but he knew it was the right one. She gave him the power to choose and he was going to do what he truly believed in. Her attention was all on him as he mustered up what he was going to say, but nothing could have prepared her for what he would say next.

"I will remain engaged to you." Ranma said. The pigtailed boy looked a little weaker after saying it but he managed a smile. Sure, she wanted him to be free to decide and had even offered her own honor in the bargain to give him a chance. What kind of man, no, what kind of person would he be if he didn't show his appreciation?

"Hold on and let me get this straight. You want to remain engaged to…me?" she asked timidly. They had just met the day before and he was a cool guy but she couldn't believe he would just do something like this. Her legs felt strangely weak as she realized that despite what she thought she was losing, she ended up keeping her honor and getting a great friend to boot. Whether it became more, only time would tell, but right now she was happy. With a delighted cry she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.

"Whoa! Uh…yeah I wanna remain engaged to ya… I guess ya don't mind, ne?" he quipped as he felt a strange tingle shoot up his spine. It wasn't the usual feeling he got when one of the brigade would give him a hug and it certainly felt nice. He returned the hug after a few seconds, noticing that her height let her put her head perfectly on his shoulder. School was momentarily forgotten but it was quickly replaced by a new concern. A small meow near his foot made him leap straight up. Since he was holding Kat, she ended up flying up with him with a squeal. The two ended up perched on a street light.

"What was that about?" she asked, visibly startled. When she followed his gaze downward, she saw a large cat peering up at them. He felt like he was shaking so hard that the pole would vibrate out of the ground. It didn't take a genius to realize he was frightened of cats. She tried to soothe him with calm whispers but that wasn't working.

"D-damn c-c-cats… I hate the little devils…" he muttered darkly but couldn't bring himself to move. Kat figured that it was something to do with his childhood. She used to be afraid of snakes but turning into a giant wolf sort of eliminated that fear. With a flash she knew what she could do. She narrowed her eyes down at the cat and drew her lips back in a snarl.

"Afraid of cats, huh? Well this big bad wolf won't let'm get ya." She said just before she let out a fierce bark that should have come from her wolf throat. The cat's hackles raised and its tail grew to four times its normal size before it took off at a dead run. The girl saw that and couldn't help but laugh at the scaredy cat. Ranma at first looked at her like she was crazy until he realized that she just scared off the cat.

"D-did you see that? That cat tore outta here like a bat outta hell!" she laughed into his shoulder. He managed to keep hold of her despite his own shaking, but this time from laughter. They laughed for a good several minutes before they suddenly looked at each other.

"School!" they exclaimed in unison and leaped the rooftops on their way to school. If this was how the day was going to go then they couldn't wait to see what was in store.

-School-

The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High waited at the gates for his eternal enemy, the devil Saotome. The cad had truly gone too far this time. Tired of the fair and beauteous Akane Tendo, he had broken her arm and taken a heathen consort. He knew this was true because his faithful retainer, Sasuke, had assured him it was so.

"Today he shall feel my wrath, but first I shall deal harshly with the one who actually hurt my beautiful goddess!" he swore to the heavens as he readied his family sword. The deluded fool was dressed completely in his family's armor. He struck such an intimidating picture that no one dared approach him. What he didn't realize was that his quarry had leaped into the schoolyard from the rooftops and was already entering the school. Another day of bucket duty for Kuno.

-Class-

Ranma ended up sitting near Akane during class as usual. The violent girl was subdued and picked at her cast frequently. Her friends had come over to her desk to sign her cast and cheer her up but she would have none of it. The reason for her despondent mood wasn't there and hopefully wouldn't be there because she had to do something she dreaded doing. When the door opened halfway through the morning, however, her hopes were dashed when she saw Kat walk into the room.

"Class, we have a new student with us today. Her name is Katrina Marx and she comes from America." The teacher said with false enthusiasm since the real thing wouldn't matter to his lethargic students. The girl in front of them smiled nervously as she bowed to the class amidst snickering. She didn't know why they were snickering until the teacher commented that it was in the male fashion. Mortified, she simply asked where she would sit. There was a seat next to Ranma that she was directed to and, with visible relief, she took her seat.

"S'up Kat?" he asked cheerfully.

"Not much…this place is so confusing…" she replied. The students watched their resident chaos magnet conversing with the new girl. Little did the teacher know that the reason everyone was so quiet for class was because of apprehension. The students were scared to see what new lunacy would befall them. More than a few looks were made at Kat who did her best to ignore them. With Ranma's gender curse, wouldn't they be more used to strange people? When she looked around the room, apparently not. Her gaze shifted to her fiancée. She couldn't figure out why he had decided to hold the engagement, but she had to admit it felt a little nice. If she had to have an arranged marriage she could have done a lot worse than Ranma. She giggled when she saw him already sound asleep and quietly snoring away. He looked so peaceful when he slept. Ranma probably didn't realize that she had been awake for some time this morning, but the sight of the little redhead's sleeping face kept her silent.

"Maybe this won't be so bad." She thought as she directed her attention back to the teacher.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Next chapter the chaos escalates. What is in store for our protagonists and how will the student body react to the gaijin wolf? All this and more next time! Ja ne!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2.

Author's Note: Sorry for the exceedingly long wait for this chapter seeing as how my silly muse had abandoned me. Also I am forced to write this installment in NotePad so forgive me for any errors. I am taking applications now for prereaders effective immediately. Thank you all for your patience and on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 3

School Daze

-or-

The Madness Begins

-Akane's POV-

Akane sat at her desk and stared at her former fiance sadly. It wasn't that she didn't love him, but her conditioning at the hands of Kuno and the Hentai Horde had left deep scars. Intellectually she knew he wasn't a pervert, but her rational mind took a back seat to the primal fear of being forced into a situation beyond her control. It just so happened that poor Ranma was left to feel the brunt of her displeasure. Her arm itched terribly, reminding her of what happened the night before and the painful thing that happened. Broken arms healed, but broken hearts didn't heal as fast. The sleeping pigtailed boy was oblivious to the world with a faint smile on his face. The young girl was entranced by a sight she would see for the rest of the year but be unable to do anything about. It was out of her hands now. With that distressing thought her eyes turned to Kat. She could admit to herself that it wasn't the girl's fault their parents were idiots but she could easily blame her for the injury. Her arm throbbed in response to her thoughts which instead of infuriating her, sobered her immensely.

"Miss Tendo, would you please pay attention?" the teacher asked before turning his back to the class. In her defense, she really did try to pay attention to the board, but her heart just wasn't in it. Her thoughts like a twisted Oroboros turning in a never ending circle. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to actually catch your own tail, the pain from the bite lingered. She could admit that the fault for last night's competition was hers alone. If she hadn't been so dead set on it she would have heard Kat saying she didn't want it which just made her more miserable.

-Kat's POV-

It was all so unbelievable to the neo-wolf. She smiled slightly as she realized that what she was avoiding had come to pass anyway. The girl hadn't wanted a fiance but here she was, sitting beside him and generally enjoying the day. Her eyes found their way way to Akane, catching her gaze briefly before the girl turned away. She shook her head at the errant thoughts running around wildly in her head. There was an interesting question that she needed answering. Why was Ranma afraid of cats? It didn't seem like a normal fear to her but she would wait to ask. She turned from inner contemplation to watching the man at the source of it all, sleep. She could be honest with herself that his girl form was incredibly cute, a devastating looker in either form. Could she just accept that part of him too? She wasn't like that, but did she really have to be? Her alternate form scared most people senseless even if she was the same person inside. If he could accept that then the least she could do is try to do the same for him. Her musings were interupted by the teacher scolding Akane for not paying attention causing her eyes to jump to the front of the room.

"That was close." she muttered as she sat perfectly straight in her chair, more than a little startled. Kat was inevitably drawn to contemplating her hands. The appendages were far more lethal than their seemingly fragile appearance just as she was. Rather than please her, it made her sad. She loved a good challenge but it just wasn't fair sometimes to fight others. The girl could admit that she hated being forced into anything but last night the confrontation had been her decision. With a single nod of her head she made her decision. If Akane wanted to be friends, then she could do her best to be.

-Ranma's POV-

He wasn't sleeping. Which was the truth as far as it went. What he was doing was an advanced form of mediation with his head on his desk. Why he was snoring occasionally was simply to provide effect. Of course the drool was a clever ruse to mask his true intentions. But even he could feel the war of wills swirling around him causing him to move upwards in consciousness as his brain geared up for war. Measures and countermeasures flashed through his brain at an impossible rate only to finally have his eyes open to evaluate the threat. So sudden was his waking...er...interupted meditation that he could have sworn he gave himself away but he was safe from observation so far. His mind turned back to the problem from yesterday when a huge Dire Wolf had entered his life bringing a whole new dimension of chaos with her. He remembered Ryoga with a soft growl subvocally. if the Lost Pig showed up maybe he'd splash his fiancee and him with cold water and see who would come out on top. No, he was martial artist and couldn't use someone's weakness against them like that. However, Kat's curse certainly wasn't a weakness. Out of all the animal cursed victims (aside from Taro) she was undoubtably the best equipped to handle herself.

With how wound up Ranma had gotten himself, perhaps it wasn't a good day for Kuno to dash into the classroom in full samurai regalia loudly proclaiming the smiting of the horrible gaijin witch that broke his fragile Akane's arm out of jealous envy. The Ranma Tactical OS (patent pending) kicked into overdrive assessing the scene. Kat was stunned into immobility at the declaration. Even Akane was surprised as he charged in full throttle slashing the obviously real sword down. Finely honed reflexes kicked into action as he leapt from his desk, snatched up his fiancee, and vaulted out the window in one smooth motion. The girl unresponsive against his chest, her eyes wide with fear. Crazy guys with swords was obviously something she wasn't ready to deal with yet, he thought with bitter humor as he landed softly. He turned to see Kuno mount the windowsill and leap down after them. 

"No way..." Ranma murmured. If Kuno could make that jump in heavy armor unscathed then it might be better to wait to challenge the blockhead until he had evaluated his new potential. All such musings were rendered moot when he crashed down in the world's first aerial facefault, cracks spreading out from his landing site.

"I-is he okay...? Maybe we should check on him." Kat suggested doubtfully after she got over the shock of flying. She went to check on the deluded kendoist but Ranma pulled her back suddenly. Kat was about to ask why when suddenly the Foolish One was back on his feet with the sword held out, ready for battle.

"Truly the heavens themselves smile upon the Blue Thunder! The Foul Sorceror Saotome and the Wicked Gaijin are together! If this is true then it leaves my two loves free of his churlish machinations. The vengeance of heaven is slow but sure...and the gods themselves wish to see me remove such a black stain upon this fair nation...with that I strike!" he proclaimed to the sky as he charged forward at full velocity. Perhaps if he had been watching where he was going and not talking to God, he might not have run face first into Ranma's outstretched foot. Before he could do more than squawk in surprise, he took a spinning back kick to the left side of his face, propelling him into the air like a human whirligig.

"What a blowhard." the pigtailed protagonist sniffed in disdain. The Blue Thunder used to be a challenge (really) but lately he's been nothing more than an overdressed punching bag. It was the price of getting better. You outgrew playmates quickly it seemed. He turned to say something to Kat only to be grabbed in an improved Amazonian glomp and there were no Amazons nearby.

"That was scary! What kind of school lets people bring swords to school?" the poor girl demanded, sounding a bit edgy. Ranma didn't think about it before wrapping his arms around her gently. Both teens momentarily forgetting they were at school until an aggrieved voice called out.

"Why does he get all the cute ones?" which had a better effect than splashing them with cold water as the two jumped apart. He stole a glance at Kat noticing her intense blush. Her eyes sought out his before giving him a shy smile and running back into the building at top speed. The surprised boy quickly got control of his stray thoughts and ran back in as well.

-Lunchtime-

Akane sat in the classroom despite the beautiful day outside to eat her lunch. She wanted to talk to her former fiance but he and Kat had jumped out the window, laughing like children. The girl wished she could have seen his playful streak instead of his perverted streak. There was no doubt that he wasn't completely perverted but she still believed he was to a degree. Kat was just lucky she wasn't wearing the uniform and had opted for an outfit similar to yesterday's except the top was bergundy.

"Hey Akane!" Yuka caroled out as she sat to the right her friend, Sayuri flanking her on the other side. The two of them could be a lot like Hiroshi and Daisuke sometimes, she reflected.

"What's going on with you and Ranma? Your sister is selling information but we wanted to get it from the horse's mouth so to speak." Sayuri said as she opened her bento.

"You just didn't want to pay for it." Akane said, in a bit of a better mood with her friends there. With a world-weary sigh she told the tale of what happened. She was accurate actually since it really was a close fight. Mostly because Kat didn't want to fight, but also because of trying to hit her ex-fiance in sparring so often she had developed speed and an intense precision.

"Look at the bright side, you got rid of the pervert right?" the girl on her right said as she began eating. So engrossed in her meal was she that she didn't notice her companion suddenly go quiet.

"Yeah..." she whispered with her heart in her voice.

-Outside-

Ranma was telling Hiroshi and Daisuke the events of the previous day but to hear him tell it the match was a foregone conclusion. Kat sat quietly beside him picking at her lunch. She brushed a stray strand of hair from her face before looking to her new fiance. He was so bright and open, undoubtably rough around the edges, but he was a good sort. Without really thinking about it, she laid her head on his shoulder and continued to eat.

"Whoa...that's so cool...but why did ya pick her? She gave ya an out." Hiroshi asked his friend bluntly. Ranma bristled but the girl so at peace on his shoulder made him calm down, besides it wasn't like he had enough friends to alienate a couple.

"It was because she gave me a way out even at the expense of her own honor. What kind of man would I be if I didn't show my appreciation?" the pigtailed youth asked reasonably. Hiroshi seemed to consider it.

"Besides, she's not crazy like the other ones." Daisuke piped up. That was the biggest draw that both boys could see besides her being cute. She was sane. Now that Ranma thought about it, he had been surrounded by beautiful girls all vying for his attention but it was the sane girl he was attracted to. 

"Sanity is sexy." he muttered with a snicker. His fiancee having picked up the soft whisper blushed and snickered as well.

"Ok guys, enough questions or we won't finish our lunch in time." Kat admonished only to find that Ranma was done first. He had the bigger portion but he was the first one done. 

"Did you even taste that?" she asked him with amusement only to watch him blush sheepishly. When his stomach let everyone know it was still unsatisfied, she passed him her unfinished lunch with a roll of her eyes, but the smile let him know it was okay. As she opened her mouth to say more, a massive explosion rocked the schoolgrounds causing the underground pipes to burst, splashing the two of them with cold water triggering their transformations. An earthshattering "moo" was the only warning either martial artist had before everything went to hell...

-Earlier-

Taro smiled down at the quiet ward malevolently. He had a reason to celebrate. The old pervert had given him a new name Toidi Taro. He wasn't sure what it meant but he felt that it fit him perfectly. To commemorate this event he was going to make things hellish for the Femboy that was responsible for foiling him so often. Once again another super powered martial artist had entered the arena with what could be seen as a valid grievance, if the judge of said grievance was Ryoga.

"Time for you to bleed asshole." he said with a poorly concealed maniacal grin as he walked in the direction of Furinkan High. Upon noticing the look on his face many people chose to cross the street rather than be on the same side of the street as the obviously unhinged individual. It never mattered to the man of dragonhide that people were generally afraid of him, in fact it gave him a perverse pleasure. He wasn't one of the honorable rivals and refused to fight alongside Saotome no matter what the circumstance. 

"Time to die Femboy." he said to himself out loud giving everyone a reason to back off even further. When he reached the gates he decided to test out something he picked up from the old freak. It was agreed that he would get his new name first as well as some new techniques as long as he signed a contract stating he would take care of Saotome. Simple matter really. It was with this thought in mind that he moved to the center of the front grounds and punched the earth, sending a powerful burst of ki into the point of impact sundering the ground clear down to the underground waterpipes which wasn't part of the plan, but as his own change occured he realized that it was too perfect to pass up as he watched the redhead bounce to her feet in surprise.

-Present-

"T-taro?" Ranma exclaimed in shock as she took in the figure before her. The terrible chimera shot forward at full speed for the startled neo-girl, but before the monster could reach her a huge wolf leapt out, tackling the redhead, and carrying her off on her back. Ranma is a master of adaptability so it was without hesitation that she grabbed hold of the thick fur of her fiancee's wolf form as the great beast ran for all she was worth. The startled creature watched this for all of a second before zooming off after them at his top speed.

The only reason Ranma had been able to keep up with her the day before was because she didn't want to leave the poor guy in the dust. The chimera was fast, but his speed was absolutely nothing compared to Kat's. The redhead on her back leaned over as far as she could to cut down on the drag, feeling the wolf's powerful muscles flowing smoothly. When she checked behind them to see where Taro was, it appeared as if he was gone. She managed to get her partner's attention and recieved a nod in response as the two of them ended up in a vacant lot quite a distance from the school. It was with some shock that she realized they were in the middle of Juuban.

"That was intense." the pigtailed girl whispered reverently. It had felt as if she had roped the wind and rode it. The wolf bent down so she could dismount easier. Once back on her own two feet, she threw her arms around the wolf's neck. Partly out of gratitude, but mostly because her legs are unsteady from the wild ride. Kat licked her cheek comfortingly.

"Thanks a lot...once we take a break, think we could get back to the school?" she asked. Kat nodded as she panted tiredly before laying down. Her fiance-turned-fiancee laid back against her side enjoying the peace that had sprung up. 

"What was his problem?" Ranma asked no one in particular.

"I got a job to do, nothing personal Femboy." a voice informed her as he stepped into the makeshift arena, his pantyhose missing. With a smile, he amended his last statement.

"Actually...it has everything to do with you. Time to die."

-Furinkan-

Akane, like the rest of the student body, had witnessed what transpired with trepidation. Even if they weren't engaged anymore she didn't want to see him hurt (too much) and most certainly not by Taro. It was too bad Ukyou wasn't here to help out but she was determined to do her best. Upon reaching this decision she stood up suddenly and prepared to head out, too bad she made this decision in English class.

"Delinquent! Happo Five Yen Satsu!" cried out Hinako causing her to wilt back onto her desk.

"Perhaps...I'll help him after my nap..." she thought before succumbing to sleep.

-Elsewhere-

The battle had started out slowly and easily as each combatant strove to attain the highest honor through combat.

Oh wait, that was a different fight. This fight started out with brutal intensity as Taro abandoned any pretense at defense and went immediately on the offensive. Ranma was pretty sure she was ready for anything the dragonhide wearing freak had except for a marked increase in speed. Taro launched himself right through the redhead's guard, unleashing a storm of blows upon her exposed abdomen doubling her over before a snap kick sent her careening away like a redheaded projectile. Her violent motion was arrested by a quick snap and jerk from Kat that allowed her to regain her feet in time to stop Taro's next attack. After another flurry of blows the two broke apart. It was clear who was worse off as Ranma had a hard time standing straight while Taro merely smirked in superiority.

"Too bad your dog's not trained better, the bitch might be able to help you. If I was holding back." he said pompously. The "dog" snarled hatefully at the youth but a hand on her head calmed her.

"Better watch what you say Panythose cuz this wolf eats jerks for breakfast." Ranma warned while Kat snarled even more hatefully.

"It's not Panythose now Femboy, it's Toidi!" he declared as he planted his fists on his hips proudly. It took Kat all of a second to realize what he said and started laughing, her tongue lolling out in amusement. Even Ranma picked up on the joke Happosai played.

"Uhm...you do know that "Toidi" is "Idiot" the English word for "Baka", right?" the redhead managed between gasps of laughter. The newly christened "Toidi" stared in shock at the person before him as it gradually sank in just what had happened. Happosai had kept his end of the bargain, but the name was nothing like he was expecting. With a cry of inarticulate rage, he unleashed his full fury upon the girl before him. If he was difficult before, he was impossible now as his rage fuelled his speed and power to unbelievable heights. To Kat it was obvious that Ranma was holding back but for the life of her she didn't know why until she took notice of where she was. The neo-wolf was behind the neo-girl severly limiting her attack options. With that in mind, she turned tail and tried to run only to be stopped when she ran head first into a leg. Her eyes travelled upwards as she took in the figure before her. It was Taro. She quickly looked behind her to see what happened to Ranma only to find her engaged in desperate battle with a crazy boy in white robes and the samurai wannabe.

"At what point did we lose control here?" she thought frantically just before feeling the kick take her in the ribs and hurl her through the air. With a sharp twist, her feet hit the ground first much to Taro's amazement as he had been expecting a simple animal until the tremendous wolf shot forward suddenly reaching max speed. In his surprise he left his leg slightly extended which ended up proving a painful mistake as she snagged him by the meaty part of the calf and drove him into the ground, rolling her body to wrench the muscles out of alignment. However, despite the shock he is a superbly trained martial artist and he rolled with the takedown before launching her off from a prone position.

"Not bad mutt...but ya gotta do better than that!" he jeered as he leapt back to his feet only to end up with hundreds of pounds of pissed of wolf slamming into his chest before he even regained his footing. Several aerial kicks and retaliating punches missed as the nimble creature twisted and dodged in a bizarre mid-air ballet that could only happen in Nerima. Taro was pretty sure this was no ordinary beast as he found his martial arts being countered by blinding speed and unbelievable precision as she seemed to be reading his moves.

"Hold still so I can break you!" he growled in annoyance as he went to his waist for the canteen of cold water he kept there only to have his fingers nearly torn off as the creature stole his canteen and shattered it in her powerful jaws, the precious liquid running from her mouth as she hurled the now ruined item away. Now Taro felt fear. It was clear he badly miscalculated and this was the result. He either had to run and admit defeat at the paws of a wolf, Jusenkyo cursed or not, or continue to fight when he knew he was outclassed. The wolf's opening attacks had done a lot more damage due to his carelessness. With a slight smirk to unsettle the feral attacker, he suddenly vaulted over the fence and disappeared. Once she was satisfied he was gone, Kat rushed back to help Ranma.

After Ranma and Taro had broken off, the chimera cursed individual smirked annoyingly before pointing something out to Ranma. Kuno and Mousse had just arrived and neither one of them looked happy. Kuno's mask was on and he seemed to have as much trouble seeing as the blind master of Hidden Weapon or else he never would have attacked "his pigtailed goddess". Taro rushed off to keep Kat from pulling a Lassie and bringing help. The redhead was powerless to do anything which didn't sit well with her at all.

"Stop it! I don't have time to play with you jerks!" she cried as she dodged a volley of projectiles, unfortunately her dodge put her in the way of Kuno's downswing. If not for superior reflexes and luck that Vash the Stampede would envy she would have been beside herself, literally. After a few moments of frantic dodging she eventually got in the groove, using her naturally enhanced agility and dexterity, she swung out of the way as Kuno blindly swung his sword only to end up in the myopic master's crosshairs by accident. A few dozen chains and shuriken later, Mousse put his glasses on properly and began fighting for real.

"Saotome! Where is my darling Shampoo?" he cried out as he began the assault anew. Ranma growled in annoyance as it seemed the old bat hadn't told him they were leaving.

"Saotome! Release thy hold on the fierce tigress and my pigtailed goddess! Practice your heresy with gaijin wench!" Kuno cried as he stumbled about blindly, even more surprising was his unerring accuracy. With barely restrained fury she brought her hands together and unleashed her signature attack.

"Moko Takabisha!" the blast of confidence ki roared through Kuno's defenses, destroying his samurai helmet in the process at the same moment that Mousse experienced a wardrobe malfunction of a critical nature. It seems that his robes can't withstand direct assault by a pissed off wolf. Even without his torn robes he could still fight as he began hurling throwing knives at the tired redhead. Just as it looked as if he would finally be rid of his nemesis, finely honed instincts kicked in to save his life as he threw himself to the side of a decapitating swing. he looked up at Kuno and realized that the blinders were off.

"You would dare harm such a beauteous maiden? You must be taught a lesson ramen slinger!" the deluded kendoist shouted as he began to chase the blind duck down the street in earnest. In the aftermath of the battle, two lone figures stood staring in the direction that the chaos had gone. With a weary sigh, the redhead started to trudge back only to find herself slung onto the wolf's back. Rather than protest the treatment, she accepted the ride back gratefully.

"I hope tomorrow's not as crazy..." she mumbled sleepily, a low growl to the affirmative let her know her thoughts were seconded. With everything that happened, she didn't want to go to the Tendo's today, and it appeared that Kat was thinking the same thing as she set a course for home.

End Chapter 3

Author's Notes: I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Before anyone complains about Taro improving, he did have Happosai's help. As to the vengeance bit, that's normal Happosai trying to teach his student a lesson. Also, Kat's wolf form has enhanced agility, strength, endurance, stamina, and speed like a wolf has. Coupled with her intelligence it becomes a formidable weapon. I hope I took care of your concerns. Time to say goodnight everybody since it is now 2:30 in the morning and I need my beauty sleep (I should wake up in about six months). 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: Here I am again and I am ready to go. I have my MSWORD back so the formatting will look better. Due to overwhelming response my creative energies are overflowing. I would like to thank all of you for reviewing. This chapter plays a bit of havoc with manga continuity in that Doctor Tofu is still around. Thank you and let's get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 4

Cats and Dogs

Nerima is a town of weirdness and the sight that greeted them was certainly odd if nothing else. The ward was treated to the sight of a redheaded girl draped tiredly on the back of a giant wolf; much like a tired gunfighter does with his horse. The "horse" in this instance was also pretty tired but it was purely from ki depletion. She snuffled worriedly as she thought back to what precipitated this event. A blind Kuno and Mousse had nearly made mincemeat of her fiancée after an enraged chimera put her through the wringer. If it hadn't been for Taro underestimating her Ranma would have been in worse shape. Her gently snoring fiancée was tickling the hairs in her left ear pleasantly.

"What the hell is wrong with these people?" she thought to herself for the thousandth time. "Is there some religion that says that Ranma can't have a day off? I've followed him and his father so I can understand some of the chaos is Genma's fault, but this goes beyond the pall. Curses, fiancées, enemies, and stupid challenges abound in his life. Even his weakest enemy could take out a score of men. What have I gotten myself involved with? What logical person would stay on this sinking ship? None!" she told herself vehemently before turning her massive head to regard her rider with one eye. "Then again, who ever said I was logical?" she asked with amusement which quickly turned to shock at the sudden application of hot water.

"You shouldn't dump your tea out the window like that, you might hit someone." A woman's voice admonished from the open window. Kat was beyond hearing as she was suddenly confronted with the knowledge that she was now human, naked, and had a rather attractive young man on top of her. She tried to push him off but ended up only showing him slightly due to expended ki.

"Could this day get any worse?" she asked the heavens mournfully only to hear a roll of thunder as if someone was laughing in agreement.

-Tendo house: Kasumi-

Kasumi flowed through her katas with effortless grace. To the untrained eye it appeared as she was merely sweeping the floor but there was so much more to it. She was perhaps an even better trained martial artist than Ranma himself in her chosen field. Her dojo was the home and she was one with her domain. The Wa of the house flowed around her for her alone to perceive. It always made her feel better when she cared for her family and her home as Mother would have done, but lately there was a disturbance. It could be attributed directly to the Saotomes or at least one Saotome in particular. Gemna. She allowed a small huff of exasperation at this thought. If he hadn't been such a bloody fool then half of these problems wouldn't have happened.

"How anyone put up with this is beyond me…" she lamented, knowing that she was to blame as well. Kasumi was as big a contributor to the chaos as any of them. If she has just put her foot down more often then this vicious spiral would no longer exist. Problems develop, Ranma is blamed, Ranma is bullied into fixing problem, and problem goes away. Lather, rinse, and repeat. In her mind's eye she knew that her little brother (as she liked to think of him) was far from perfect, but was also more blameless than any of these other boneheads. Sometimes she wished she was permitted to curse but the tenets of her school prevented that.

"Oh poopy…" she cursed as violently as she dared before increasing her workout speed in atonement for her indiscretion. Maybe she should bake some cookies for Ranma-kun. A whole tray for him to make up for her contributing to his problems.

"She's really a sweet girl but also a violent maniac' makes so much sense…" she muttered reproachfully before tabling her darker thoughts. Hopefully when they met today it would be under better circumstances.

-Tendo house: Nabiki-

Hearing the soft non-curse, the middle Tendo daughter sighed. It bothered her more than she cared to admit out loud, but she missed Ranma. Seeing the big lug at school wasn't the same as when he lived at what she thought had become his home. Now he was living with his mother and his self chosen fiancée. Even if he had managed to keep it a secret from her it was still fairly obvious what he would do if given a way out.

"The only one who listened…was someone on the outside." She mused thoughtfully as she balanced the books (figuratively not literally). That someone on the outside was Kat. The girl had appeared and had pretty much no interest in Ranma except maybe as a friend even if she was a fiancée with the greatest hold. She managed to do what Nabiki herself couldn't figure out and that was to get rid of the engagements. Oh she knew that Ukyou wouldn't go quietly into the night, but Kat was proving to be resourceful if nothing else. If she hadn't been so reluctant to fight she would have defeated Akane easily, but it was obvious that fighting actually bothered her.

"The kid's got talent but no drive to use it…there is profit to be made off this…" she ruminated. If she sold the information to Shampoo about a reluctant warrior then the Amazon would probably get her butt handed to her when she went to clear out the "obstacle". There was the Kiss of Death to be considered, but it was even clearer that it seemed to be largely for show. Even when Shampoo had "Ranko" dead to rights she had let her quarry go. The Chinese Amazon was squeamish actually about actually killing someone and Cologne makes every effort to hide that little fact. Without Ranma in the house the bills, namely the grocery bill, would go down considerably though the money would still be tight because of one missing chaos magnet. She would have considered it further, but the sound of a throat clearing got her attention.

"You might want to try cough drops instead of drop ins." She told the person as she swiveled her chair around to face…Cologne. With a sinking feeling, the girl realized that maybe paying for the bills wouldn't be all that difficult, but the method of payment was suddenly making her uneasy.

"Good evening to you Miss Tendo." The aged matriarch greeted her, giving her a smile that would freeze water and kill trees.

"Good evening to you as well elder. What can I do for you?" she asked politely while inwardly she was running though plans of action that would involve her leaving without whatever information she sought, but quickly gave it up as useless. She knew what battles she could win and this was not one of them.

"I heard an interesting rumor today." Cologne said to start the conversation.

"Sorry, I don't deal in rumors." Nabiki said calmly but there was undercurrent of steel to her tone. The elder noted this with condescending amusement before sitting on the girl's bed uninvited.

"Oh but this is a good one…I heard that your sister is no longer engaged to Son-in-Law. A gaijin girl showed up yesterday with a claim that predates all of the others. Is that true?" Cologne asked rhetorically, she knew damn well what the situation was, but now the problem was where did the leak in her network spring up? The girl seethed inwardly in the face of the smug old crone but refrained from tipping her hand.

"Five thousand yen." She stated to the matriarch. Maybe if she had to pay she'd go away, especially if she had the information already. With that thought in mind it was understandable why she seemed just a tad shocked when her customer handed over the money.

"Fine. Her name is Katrina Marx but prefers Kat. She followed Ranma and his father for some time even to Jusenkyo. Her cursed form is a wolf, but not an ordinary one since it seems to be much bigger than a normal one. She fought Akane last night and freed Ranma from the engagement. Not much more is known." Suspected, but not known. Nabiki preened behind her calm mask as the elder visibly fumed at the dodge and even worse, she couldn't do anything about it. Until she finally spoke.

"I knew all that you little slip of a girl. She must be decent to defeat your sister but unfortunately she's nothing compared to Shampoo. She has trained to finally remove her obstacles and has reached beyond my expectations. I figure a little free information was in order. Don't get used to your outsider friend, she won't be around much longer." She told Nabiki coldly before vaulting out the open window. Nabiki felt like she had aged a thousand years in a few moments as she turned back to her desk. With a determined glint in her eyes she picked up the phone. Time to call in a few favors…

-Somewhere in Japan-

The day was beautiful. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the blue sky stretched on forever. There was nothing that could spoil this perfect moment…

Ring

Except that.

The incessant ringing of the girl's cell phone was driving her nuts as she dug around in her backpack for the annoying little thing. It was hard to get lost in a backpack but she was not an ordinary person. Oh no. She was a very special individual. In service to Nabiki Tendo of Nerima, this wandering warrior was truly special indeed.

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.

"Glad I got a hold of you." Nabiki spoke from the other end.

"What is it?" the girl asked as she shifted her stance.

"I have a job for you."

"The usual rate?"

"Of course."

"I'm all yours." She responded in a deceptively mild tone.

"Here's what I need you to do…and for God's sakes I hope you remembered the batteries this time…" Nabiki said as she detailed the specifics to her "field agent". After about ten minutes the cell phone was shut and stowed in her backpack. Without a backwards glance, the girl took off towards Hokkaido before veering sharply towards Nerima…

-Elsewhere-

It was embarrassing to say the least. So far no one had seen her as she dragged/carried Ranma through the streets towards home. She had borrowed his shirt in an effort towards modesty but it was a poor job. Thankfully she saw the house just a few hundred feet away. Maybe she could talk her fiancé into losing weight or at least not going unconscious. Sure was rude of him to do that she thought. As she reached the front door her danger sense screamed at her. Without thinking she threw herself flat just in time to avoid the exquisitely crafted Chinese broadsword that bit deeply into the front door. Covering Ranma with her body she looked wildly in the direction of the attack. What met her gaze was a vision of beauty if she was into that sort of thing. The girl was Chinese and would have been beautiful if not for the ugly mask of anger she wore.

"What girl do with Airen?" she demanded in broken Japanese. Her quarry looked dumbstruck.

"What do you mean? You swing a sword at me and start demanding answers? Sorry but I don't have to tell you a thing now go away before I press charges!" Kat yelled back with quite a bit of force, her heart was still frantically trying to leap out from her throat. Her attacker now looked stunned. Normally people didn't threaten police when she attacked but she wouldn't let that deter her.

"Weak girl leave and live. Stay and die. Simple, right?" the purple-haired vixen queried as she got back in a ready stance. Kat felt her anger boiling up as if she were still in wolf form. How dare this bimbo threaten her? Who did she think she was to talk to her like that? The questions spiraled around in her head as she stood up without fully realizing what she was doing. Her body was tired, screaming at her for rest and her ki was almost nonexistent, but her anger was turning into a living thing. It is a well known fact that one does not mess with a wolf's mate if they wish to see the sunrise again. Shampoo hadn't pushed the wrong buttons; she stomped on them in nine-inch heels.

"Watch it little girl cuz I'm not in the mood to play with you!" she growled out gutturally, her teeth bared in an animalistic snarl of hate as her fingers curled into claws. The young Amazon felt a tingle of fear shoot up her spine as the cat in her recognized the terrible predator she had unwittingly angered. Unlike an animal in the wild, however, she was a thinking creature. Her eyes roamed over her opponent taking in the exhaustion coloring her stance and her eyes. It was almost a shame she had to kill her now she mused since this girl might have actually been a worthy foe.

"Shampoo not in mood to play either…you make too stupid mistake challenging Amazon." She snarled back before lunging forward with lethal intent. Kat's eyes widened in astonishment at the speed before throwing herself sideways. Her eyes welled up with tears as she landed on the side that Taro almost crushed. Only her trained reflexes saved her from losing her head so early in the fight as she rolled to the side. As she moved her leg snapped out to catch Shampoo in the side of the leg but the sloppy sweep was easily leapt over.

"Stop this! Can't we talk about this?" she begged as the blade came down again. Kat prepared to dodge but Ranma would be in the path of the blade if she moved. Her indecision cost her as the blade bit deep into her left shoulder, blood spurting slightly as the blade was wrenched loose. Kat's tears flowed freely from the pain but her eyes were surprisingly clear. Once again she dragged herself to her feet, swaying slightly from exhaustion.

"You still want fight? Too bad stupid girl…no more play now." Shampoo said regretfully. The girl really didn't want to kill her but Amazon law was clear. With a cry, she threw herself at her opponent with her weapon poised to finish the job. Her charge faltered briefly in the face of the rage she saw in the girl's eyes. Her hesitation cost her dearly as Kat's arm shot out with almost Amaguriken speed to crash into the Chinese girl's nose with crushing force. Desperately trying to blink away the tears from her suddenly broken nose she could only dodge as more blows followed the first. It was as if her opponent had lost her mind. The only thing that existed in her eyes was madness and Shampoo was hard pressed to keep up with the rage fueled blows. She almost panicked until she noticed how sloppy the girl was.

"Lost Boy not even that sloppy." She pronounced out loud as she caught the rhythm of attacks. A sudden kick took the blonde in the chest before a backhand sent her crashing to the ground, stunned. As the girl struggled to rise, the vindictive Amazon kicked her in the jaw and sternum in retaliation for the broken nose.

"Y-you…won't get away…with this…" Kat wheezed as her mind slowly recovered just enough to take in the situation.

"Too cliché…you die now." She tried to sound menacing but instead sounded as if she had a head cold, the blood burbling her words as it ran over her lips. The gaijin shut her eyes as she saw the blade descend until the sound of shattering masonry drew her attention. Shampoo also stopped and stared at the vaguely familiar apparition stepping calmly through the ruined wall.

The new girl was of average height, wore a sky blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans. She wore steel toes with rivets and had on a large black backpack with what looked like a red checkered umbrella strapped to it. Her shoulder length, slightly curly chestnut hair ruffled in the breeze and a red bandanna held back her soft bangs.

"Where the hell am I now?" she asked no one in particular as her light hazel eyes swept the area before taking notice of her audience. Something about the scene clicked and she let a soft smile grace her angelic face, a cute fang peeking out.

"Is this Nerima?" she asked musically of the battered assemblage.

"Yes but you leave now. This not concern you." Shampoo blustered as she readied herself for battle. Something told her that this new girl was fresh but that normally wouldn't bother her. There was something decidedly odd about this girl, something familiar…

"Good to hear. Shampoo I presume?" she asked softly. At the girl's curt nod her smile grew slowly into something almost…evil.

"Who you?" the Amazon asked with understandable confusion. Kat was valiantly trying to take all this in but she was still slightly out of it. A low moan drew everyone's attention as Ranma slowly came around. Shampoo groaned at this. She had hoped she could avoid killing the girl in front of her airen but it was not to be. Luckily for her he was still mostly out of it so she had time. As she looked back to the greater threat she was surprised to find the girl right in her face, her breath hot on her face. The girl drawled out her next words.

"Play time little Amazon…" just before striking her in the stomach so hard that Shampoo flew back several feet, barely landing in a kneeling position. The stricken warrior tried to get back to her feet only to suddenly vomit up blood and bile from deep in her stomach. With horror she realized that this girl was playing for keeps. She looked up just in time to take a front snap kick to the forehead, the force of the blow jerking her to her feet and slowly toppling over backward until another punch to the stomach doubled her over the sudden warrior's fist.

"Wh-wh-what…?" she croaked out as her abdominal muscles spasmed again sending out another gout of hot fluid from her tortured stomach. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, something felt ruptured inside.

"You're nothing but a bully. Understand this little Amazon, for this unprovoked attack the Japanese government is not going to turn a blind eye. You almost killed someone. They look the other way when you're playing with each other but not when you're trying to murder someone. For your information, the name is Sora Hibiki, and I hate bullies." She grated out the last sentence as she slammed her hand between Shampoo's breasts and picked her up clear over her head. With a primal yell she prepared to bring the sobbing warrior over her knee.

"Stop! Don't do it! What the hell…? You beat her so stop!" Ranma shouted out as he fought to stand with Kat trying to hold him down. Sora stopped, realizing he was right and simply let her fall. A pained moan escaped her lips before she slumped into blessed unconsciousness.

"Hmph. Guess I better find out more about the situation…after we call a doctor." Sora said as she took notice of everyone's injuries. Snorting in a masculine fashion, contradictory to her appearance, she began helping the wounded inside.

-Later-

The list of injuries was numerous but it was also known that most of the injuries would be gone by tomorrow. Unfortunately Kat's shoulder was bad enough to need stitches. It was believed that she should stay home from school and avoid cold water. Nodoka readily agreed and made sure she was comfortable. Her concern was bad enough but Ranma was hovering over her. If she so much as winced he winced. To Sora it was cute and she was definitely looking forward to the easy money she was making on this. Maybe she could find her little brother too. As to Shampoo, Cologne came to get her and almost didn't leave in one piece. The Matriarch demanded to know who hurt her and the girl in question smiled wickedly. The old woman glared, trying to frighten her, but failed miserably. No one understood why she left without a fight except for the woman smiling like Mona Lisa. They were currently at the table, Kat leaning against Ranma who had his arm (carefully) around her shoulders with Doctor Tofu seated near Sora. Mother Saotome arrived shortly with the tea. The young doctor looked grim.

"Bruised ribs, cracked shoulder, and internal bruising for Ranma. Lacerated shoulder, fractured ribs, and extreme exhaustion for Kat. Shampoo…her injuries were the worst. Internal injuries mostly in the abdominal area, broken nose, cracked jaw, and severe concussion. This has to have been one of the worst fights I've ever had to clean up after." He lamented. Kat shifted slightly as Ranma unknowingly placed pressure on her wound. He looked as grim as Doctor Tofu. Despite Sora's attitude with Cologne there she was feeling pretty bad.

"I didn't mean to hurt her that badly…I just hate it when people get picked on." She muttered embarrassed. Everyone looked at her pointedly with the same thought going through their minds that this girl was far too strong to be a normal martial artist.

"I thought I heard you say your name is Sora Hibiki?" Kat asked in a slightly puzzled tone. Ranma, who really hadn't heard much, stared in fascination at this extremely cute girl with the angel's face and her pointed fangs that was sitting at the table with them.

"Are you related to the young man who attacks my son on a regular basis and for no good reason?" Nodoka asked in a faintly accusatory way that made the girl want to retreat even further. The gaijin girl patted the muscular girl on the shoulder reassuringly. Ranma was eating the tea cakes trying to "keep his strength up" as he listened intently.

"Yes, my name is Sora Hibiki. I think the young man you're referring to is my younger brother Ryoga. Unfortunately, all Hibiki's are berserkers. We gain great strength from our anger and channel it effectively into our martial arts style. Though little brother dipped a little too deep into the anger well and it colors his perceptions a bit too much. Our directional curse is linked to our emotions. If we want to get somewhere desperately we will, if given time, reach our destination. Anger makes our curse worse. The best thing for a Hibiki to do when they're angry is to stay in one spot and calm down." She told her enrapt audience. No one spoke in the silence that developed, but then Tofu cleared his throat.

"I noticed your…rather unique watch. It appears to be a GPS if I'm not mistaken but such an item is expensive." He stated calmly while Sora grinned at her watch like a kid on Christmas morning.

"If you're trying to ask why I'm here then I'll tell you. Nabiki Tendo gave me a call a little earlier and asked me to get over to Nerima as fast as I could. We agreed on the usual payment, a girl needs to eat you know, and I set off. She bought me the GPS a few months back around the time Ranma fought Herb. I was trailing behind then to make sure you got the kettle but then I got lost in the underbrush. Siberia sucks at any time of the year. Anyway, my boss wanted me to come and make sure a certain Amazon girl didn't hurt Ranma or his fiancée. I'm sorry I wasn't sooner but I try to avoid the Hibiki Door Method in residential areas. I heard the sounds of combat and I didn't like how the fight seemed to be going so I followed my ears and the rest is history. If you're wondering, my brother is a lot stronger than I am." She told them simply as she sipped her tea politely. Her manner of speech and actions were a strange contrast as people heard the slightly masculine overtones to her words. The girl was turning into a confusing mess.

"I guess we will not be going to the Tendo home tonight. You both are too injured to go anywhere and I will not hear another word about it. Sora dear, would you like to stay the night?" the Saotome matriarch inquired politely. The girl in question looked positively amazed at the prospect that anyone would want her stay under their roof. Especially with what she heard about her brother from Nabiki.

"Uhm…sure…okay…" she managed to say as Ranma laughed. Her expression looked a lot like a kid being told Santa was coming with the hint of fang peeking out. He had to admit that she must be a Hibiki because he would occasionally see that same look on Ryoga's face when something nice was done for him. His mood turned a little darker as he wished that the Lost Boy could be more like his sister. Kat, as if sensing his mood, snuggled against him more as she slipped her good arm around his waist. Her eyes found Sora's, the two of them sharing some mysterious joke before the two of them laughed as well.

"Oh my…I seem to be late getting back to the clinic. I am terribly sorry but I had better get back before my patients think I was abducted." Doctor Tofu said as he stood up. Nodoka offered to show him to the door but he politely declined. A chorus of well wishes and "good nights" followed him out the door before events turned to more important matters. Such as dinner and sleeping arrangements.

-Outside-

If one had to ask him on any given day what he thought of Nerima he would have to say "I need an umbrella and a scorecard." The umbrella would be for the spontaneous rainstorms and falling water. The scorecard would be for keeping track of the fiancées, the fights, the supernatural accidents, and every other little thing that happened. Perhaps a charm against bad luck might help as well. Heaven knows that Ranma needs all the good luck he can get. He was just glad that Happosai hadn't seen fit to show himself lately or the already messy development would turn into a disaster of Chernobyl proportions. Doctor Tofu had heard of Ranma's defeat of Saffron and didn't find it as hard to believe as some people did. You could depend on him in a pinch as everyone knew. It was apparent that not even a god could stop him from doing what he does best and it wasn't being a martial artist. He was a natural born protector. No matter what the stakes were he would throw himself in if it meant saving someone. Ranma would even save his enemies which is something most people wouldn't do. If his mother was going to hold him to the seppuku pledge than she might as well tear it up. There was no one manlier than the man willing to risk himself to do what's right.

"Now if only I could stay sane around Kasumi…" he thought mournfully as his thoughts turned to other matters. The young doctor had even asked Cologne to teach him the Soul of Ice but even that failed in the presence of his personal goddess. Medication didn't help since it wasn't actually a psychological illness. He couldn't understand why he always lost it in her presence. With a sigh, he trudged wearily towards home. It had in fact been a long day especially with the new development in Ranma's life. A fiancée who actually cares about his feelings? The good doctor half expected the sun not to rise the next day. Unfortunately it appeared as if the chaos in his life had gained new power if Shampoo's attempted assassination of Kat was any indication.

"If this is the only the beginning…may the kami grant them the strength to handle the coming storm." He prayed fervently as he strode along the quiet street.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: No flames regarding the new character please. If there are any complaints concerning Shampoo's behavior than try to remember in the series how often she tried to eliminate her competition. She's not as bad as Kodachi in that regard but she is worse than Ukyou. Also if it came down to Shampoo losing honor or someone losing their life, Cologne would most likely pick the latter option. I'm not demonizing them; I'm just simply making their character flaws a bit more glaring. That's enough of my rant. Thank you all for reading and ja ne!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: I certainly appreciate the warm reviews I have been receiving. I would just like to thank all of you for reading this story. This chapter will follow Sora while the next chapter follows Ranma and Kat during the events from this chapter. Now without further ado, let's get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 5

Family Reunion: Hibiki Style

Sora Hibiki, former heir to the Hibiki School of Martial Arts, squirmed more comfortably in the warm futon provided to her by Ranma's mother. The sweet woman even insisted she call her Aunty Nodoka. Kindness like that always made her warm inside which is why she always tried to protect other people's happiness. After all, wasn't it a martial artist's duty to see to the well being of others? Too bad her little brother, the heir of the school by birth not by effort, didn't believe that. The angelic faced girl smiled happily at the looks she noticed between Ranma and Kat over dinner. They were so cute together. She was probably the only Hibiki in her generation who could sleep with a clear conscience. Her brother was a dishonorable lout that used his curse to sleep in a girl's bed. She only knew about it because Nabiki knew and had made sure to tell her that. It gave her incentive to deal with her brother's transgressions. Had he been keeping up their family style or had he completely forsaken the school in favor of a few Chinese tricks? Yes, they were good and powerful, but they weren't of their family. They practiced an unrecognized form of martial arts, much like Anything Goes in that they took elements of other styles and formed them into a complete whole. However, he threw away much of their legacy in favor of some cheap moves.

"Why do you do this to yourself, Ryoga? Whereas we could have been a loving family you turned your back on us. Why? For the sake of a bloody vendetta that you can't even carry out in today's society? You couldn't carry it out even if it was the old days simply because it's wrong." She mused aloud to the empty dojo where she had elected to sleep before turning over and burrowing deeper in the covers. Tears ran down her face as sleep refused to come that night.

-Breakfast-

Breakfast was a somber affair due to the mood of the latest member of the house. Like all Hibiki's, their moods could alter the perceptions of people around them, and Sora was no different. Her early bath had been to scrub her face of the dried tears, hoping that they wouldn't pay attention to the red-rimmed eyes, but also knowing they would notice. Aunty Nodoka looked down the table at her newest acquired charge and waited for her to make the first move. Ranma had taken breakfast up to Kat who he ordered to stay in bed since her energies weren't back to full yet so the two of them had the table to themselves. The quiet clink of the chopsticks on the empty bowl brought Sora out of her reverie.

"What's wrong dear? You have hardly eaten a thing and you seem to be brooding about something." Nodoka inquired gently of the younger woman. The oldest Hibiki child ate another sparse mouthful of food before setting her chopsticks down.

"I keep thinking about my little brother. He was such a sweet child and was never a problem. It didn't bother me when Father named him the heir to our school because I believed that he would honor our family just by being himself. Then his direction curse manifested and he had the hardest time finding his way around, even harder than me. I could usually get where I was going in a few hours if I needed to but aside from that I just enjoyed the chance I had to see the countryside. He never developed that and so it gave him a deep anger. Father and Mother worked to train him out of it but they met with no success. I even gave it a try and was almost hospitalized because he took his aggression out on me. It confused me when I tried to figure out how he went from "I love you Sis" to "You've made my life hell". I need to find him again, but this time I'm challenging him for the position as heir to the school. Nothing else will reign him in but that I'm sure." She told the attentive woman across from her before picking up her chopsticks again and eating once more, this time with more enthusiasm.

"Why do you think that he doesn't like my son? I can tell that he did something that makes Ranma mad but why is he mad at him?" Nodoka asked carefully, making sure that he darling child wasn't nearby to interrupt. One way or another she was getting the truth. Her dining companion visibly steeled herself for what was coming.

"You understand that what I am about to tell you is a sensitive matter, correct?" at the copper-haired woman's nod she continued. "This is very difficult because it infringes on the honor of multiple individuals. My brother had followed Ranma to China from what I heard, you know the source of my information I'm sure. While there he was knocked into the springs by a panda and a redheaded girl. He landed in one of the springs there and is now cursed to change whenever splashed with cold water. The panda and redhead are Genma and Ranma respectively." Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of a way to say the next part.

"What…does he turn into…?" the normally unflappable woman asked hesitantly, already suspecting the worst.

"He turns into a baby potbellied pig. Black by the way." Sora commented tonelessly as her soft hazel eyes took on an almost furious light forever banishing any thoughts of her not being a Hibiki. Nodoka gripped the katana resting beside her, her knuckles white from the strain. She wasn't blind to the situation at all. If it got out that Ryoga was Akane's pet P-chan and that her family knew then her honor was ruined. Not only her honor but the honor of her family would be swept away like so much sand at the beach.

"My son knew I imagine so why didn't he say anything?" the Saotome matriarch asked with a pleading hint to her voice.

"According to my source he had made a promise to never reveal his curse because it was considered a weakness. Any one of my brother's enemies would have used his curse to harm him so your son sought to protect his rival. He repaid your son's kindness and Akane's kindness by sleeping with her. What makes his crime worse is the fact she doesn't know his curse. That's another thing I need to talk to him about." The Hibiki girl said. On the worse "talk" she cracked her knuckles in anticipation. He would not ruin their family's honor anymore if she had a say in it. Nodoka shivered at the harsh sound. It promised broken bones and bleeding.

"Let us finish our breakfast. I think you should walk with my son to school today since he is still hurt and his enemies would certainly take this opportunity." The woman said to their houseguest who nodded in acknowledgement. Any further questions were tabled as Ranma came into the room to eat. The pigtailed boy seemed deeply troubled by something and ate slowly instead of with his usual gusto.

"Aunty Nodoka asked me to walk you to school today. I hope you don't mind." Sora said politely. The resident chaos magnet gave a small smile of recognition that peeked out like a timid animal. The way his eyes peered at her from under his bangs made him look twelve and not seventeen. It was an endearing look she decided but firmly put the cap on that line of thought. She did not poach boyfriends let alone fiancés.

"That's cool…but what 'bout Kat?" he asked as he began eating at a steadier pace.

"I spoke with the police last night and they are keeping an eye out for Shampoo. Yesterday was the last straw as far as I'm concerned and that barbarian woman is not allowed here any longer." Nodoka said with a note of finality.

"K, that's good…but what 'bout Kodachi?" Ranma asked as if expecting to hear her mad laughter at any moment.

"If the scion of the house of Kuno comes calling then she will see that her brother is an infant compared to my sword skills." His mother told him. He could almost swear he heard the rasp of a katana in her voice and shivered involuntarily. Sora gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry; she'll be safe until you come home. I plan on coming right back after walking you to school. Once you're there I'm sure your ex-fiancée would help you." She said to him. Ranma still looked a little leery but it wasn't for his own welfare. He was still trying to get a few moments peace with Kat to just get to know her but that was proving difficult. She was so beautiful it made his heart ache and valiant enough to be a samurai of old. Her mind was sharp but not cutting like Nabiki's and she was kind. Almost too good to be true but for once he wasn't going to question a good thing and she definitely fell into the Good Thing category. His words of the previous day came back and he whispered them with humor in his voice.

"Sanity is sexy." He would have continued to laugh but the women at the table looked at him pointedly; apparently he wasn't as quiet as he thought.

"As interesting as it would be to hear more dear…" he blushed deeply at her tone "I do believe you need to get to school." His mother said as she set his bento down for him. She was fixing some herbal tea in preparation for Kat. With a final smile in his direction she went upstairs.

"C'mon bro, we better get going." Sora said as she cuffed him lightly on the shoulder. He looked a bit surprised at the "bro" but let it slide. Who was he to throw away a potential friendship?

"Alright 'Sis' let's go." He fired back in good humor and was rewarded by a bright smile that showed off her cute fangs before the two took off out the door, racing along the streets towards Furinkan.

-At School-

Kuno stood at the gates of the hallowed halls of learning, Furinkan High, in anticipation of his fight with the beast Saotome. His pet wolf would help him not for he was a samurai of noble lineage and unparalleled ability. Turning his head to the side to monitor the goings on of the hoi polloi he reflected that today was a good day. Once again decked out in his family's ancestral armor (a replacement helmet upon his head from the Foul Sorcerer's magicks that ruined the original) and held his sword aloft in a heroic pose. So engrossed was he in his musings he didn't notice the pigeons land on his noble personage or that his quarry had already vaulted onto school property. He stood like that until the bell had rung but he didn't have to worry about bucket duty today, nay he did not. Something more pressing called to the Eldest Scion of the House of Kuno. The pigeons.

Kuno hated cleaning pigeon dung.

While all this was going on, the man of the hour and his new friend were on their way to the school. From what Ranma was able to find out is that Sora is nineteen, the same age as Kasumi, and had graduated class valedictorian. She was probably the only Hibiki to successfully graduate high school and not have to take a mail-order course. She loved to sing and paint watercolors but her true first love was the Art. To hear her describe their family style it was like a feral ballet all grace and power. He had to see that and pestered her for a spar which she agreed to, laughing at the hopeful look on his face. Her eyes moistened a bit as she wished her brother could be like this. The Hibiki girl tried to hide her eyes but Ranma caught her.

"What did I say?" he asked, clearly distressed by his friend crying only to be enfolded in a firm hug. His pigtail stood on end before settling down. She was just giving him a hug and it was okay to accept hugs. Truth be told, he did enjoy the feel of them as he hesitantly returned the hug. She was a little shorter than Kat but was definitely more muscular.

"I was just wishing Ryoga could be as sweet as you." She replied once she had gotten over her brief cry, carefully making sure she showed no traces of her loss of control. With a bright smile she took his hand and proceeded to lead him in the exact opposite direction before he gave her hand a little tug in the right direction. Sora, with a sheepish grin on her face, gladly let him lead her in the right direction. Ranma rolled his eyes over the fanged girl's antics before a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Yesterday when the Old Ghoul showed up she was pissed that someone hurt Shampoo but when she found out it was you she just left. Why?" the pigtailed boy asked bluntly. His companion's face darkened noticeably and her smile was just a tad evil like it was when she fought Shampoo.

"It's nothing all that special except that I set a few things in motion before I went after that Amazon bitch. The first was to inform a few people of where I was going. If they didn't hear from me in a day then they were to call the police and the Chinese embassy. Nabiki made sure that Cologne knew the measures taken so even though she could probably kill me she wouldn't want her government mad at her. As my employer says "It's not how hard you hit but how hard you think." So as long as I had the mental advantage then she couldn't beat me." The Hibiki girl said to the now thoughtful Ranma.

"That's kinda cool…but I prefer to take care of things myself." He said to his wiser companion who merely shrugged in response.

"We all have different ways of handling things." She said but before she could continue, the wall in front of them exploded. The sight that was revealed made Ranma's blood run cold. It was Ryoga and he looked far from happy. Luckily he hadn't taken notice of them yet. Ranma felt Sora go rigid beside him, looking to her suddenly as he felt her energy rise. She was audibly growling as she regarded the figure of the Lost Boy. With a shove, she sent the pigtailed boy careening into a side alley.

"What the hell…?" he asked stunned.

"Get to the school NOW!" she roared at him before focusing solely on her target once again. With a loud yell, Sora rushed to battle her brother. Ranma knew that he would worse than useless and that this was her fight. With a weary sigh, he took off for the school rapidly, praying she could handle this herself.

Ryoga heard the shout and stared in stunned amazement at his older sister. She looked a lot harder than he remembered and the look on her face was nothing short of horrifying. It was a mask of pure, unadulterated rage mingled with hatred and an underlying…sadness? He knew that he wasn't on the best of terms with the former heir but he never expected to be faced with this. Before he could even say a word she was in his face with a wicked right hook that he barely slipped under. His instincts were screaming at him to fight back but since she was family he decided to exercise diplomacy.

"What's going on sis? Why are you attacking me?" he asked in a slightly panicky tone. She was definitely better than he remembered and her speed was phenomenal even if she was slower than his usual sparring partner. His sister was a master of their particular style while he was still learning. On skill alone she had him beat.

"Don't play innocent with me…P-chan." She whispered in cold fury as her fists began moving even faster. So intent on dodging her blows was he that he failed to make the connection to what she said but then it sunk in. His face paled and he stopped in his tracks as realization dawned. She knew his secret! His momentary inattention cost him dearly as several jackhammer blows took him in the abdomen. The Bakusai Tenketsu training had hardened him considerably and made it more difficult for Ranma to hurt him, but this was a fellow Hibiki and they naturally hit harder. The air exploded from him lungs, forcing him to retreat briefly under the cover of the same attack that increased his endurance. The stone shrapnel bouncing off his sister's body like water off a duck's back.

"That honorless bastard told you didn't he? When I see him next I'll kill him! Get out of my way or I will go through you." He told her in a deadly quiet voice only to find her openly grinning at him.

"He didn't tell me…do you want to know how I found out?" she asked in a syrupy sweet tone. The Lost Boy nodded curtly even as he firmed up his stance. Sora's grin threatened to split her face as she watched him, her own stance loose and easy but no less formidable.

"Nabiki told me…she's not as oblivious to your curse as you think she is, but there was one problem with exposing you." The girl told him conversationally, her voice pitched low deliberately forcing him closer to hear her but not too close.

"The problem wasn't how angry her sister would be. That could be handled of course. No, the problem was if everyone found out that her pet pig was really a young man. Not only a young man but her ex-fiancé's rival. What do you think that would do for her honor? It would certainly be a black mark on the Tendo family's honor…not to mention the stain on our family honor. I think you can understand why I'm angry now." She told him in that conversational tone that suddenly left the flesh creeping up his spine. The stakes for this match were suddenly a thousand times higher than any he had with Ranma. Left unspoken was that she was here for honor. Not just hers but for a girl she didn't even know. He still had to clarify.

"What happens if you win?" he asked, feeling his stomach drop and his heart leap up into his chest at her suddenly contemplative look.

"The winner will be the Hibiki family heir to the school. The loser will never practice the family style again. If I win then the debt of honor will be satisfied in that you will have lost everything. However, if I lose then I get the fitting punishment for failure to stop your crimes. One more condition and you cannot refuse: no rematches." She finished the challenge but to her surprise he didn't immediately attack. Now he was grinning.

"Talking to me about honor are you? What was honorable about that bastard running out on our duel? He knew of my curse so he should have waited for me. Then he made me hunt him down all the way to Jusenkyo where I picked up my curse. Once again thanks to him I was knocked into one of the pools there. Then his fat oaf of a father tried to eat me! You want me to just give up now? This is about my honor!" he declared heatedly.

"What about other people's honor?" Sora asked him, already fearing his response.

"I don't care anymore. He beats a freaking god and now everything's changed. We don't fight as often because he beat a god and now I'm beneath him. Do you have any idea how that feels? I'm forever in second place to an honorless bastard who never deserved Akane. I don't deserve her either as you kindly reminded me, but Akari treats me better anyway. If it's the school you want…I'll gladly take your all and crush you." His eyes burning with the light of the fanatic as his aura swirled around him in blacks and greens, violet lightning shooting through his form as he prepared himself for battle.

"Shit…he's insane…this is starting to look a lot worse than I thought." Sora said to herself as her own aura calmly flowed from her body in soft pinks and red before coalescing into the red of anger yet her eyes remained clear. The fury of the berserker needed to be tempered if she was going to win against this insanity driven behemoth. The two Hibikis dropped their packs to the ground, cracking the concrete from the force before launching themselves at each other furiously. The initial assault was concluded so rapidly that neither one of them realized when they were shunted apart.

Ryoga had opened up with a straight punch to her chest while she grabbed the arm and attempted a throw only to be cuffed in the side of the head. Rather than swooning from the blow, she slammed her elbow into his gut. Their auras flared violently forcing them apart. The two leapt at one another again, intent on finishing this quickly only to be knocked apart once again by opposing auras. Both combatants were breathing heavily, nursing wounds that weren't healing as fast as they should be. They circled one another, getting a feel for the other before suddenly stopping.

"One of us is not walking away under their own power." Sora told her brother calmly as she suddenly scooped up her umbrella and giving it a peculiar wrench, the umbrella portion flying off as she held the handle, revealing a finely crafted sword.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Ryoga said with a twisted smile as his aura gathered between his hands before unleashing his trademark ki attack.

"Shi Shi Hokodan!" he roared out as his twisted aura formed into a sphere of ki before launching violently at his grimly smiling sister. Her aura abruptly flared white as she slashed the sword down violently crying out her own attack.

"Reiken!" (translation: Sacred Sword) her own attack roared to life before punching through his attack, continuing on to its target however much reduced by the ball of depression energy. Much to Sora's surprise, his attack simply closed up and struck her full on. The street was lit up by blasts of light and dark ki in a swirling maelstrom trapping the two warriors in the eye of the storm, their auras fueling the terrible funnel they were stuck in. Ryoga was scorched and burned in several places from the attack but otherwise was none the worse for the wear. His sister was worse off by far since his attack wasn't depleted in the slightest. She could feel her lungs sucking laboriously for air as she fought to remain standing. Her ki attack was one of the advanced moves of the school but she didn't have the control to use more than one. Ryoga however was calmly gathering in energy for another depression blast.

"Y-you think…that beating me will…excuse your dishonor?" she gasped out, the storm nearly obliterating her words.

"It certainly will make me feel better. Though I think after this I might be an only child." He told her as calmly as if her discussing the weather and that was when she felt fear trickle down her throat. It was a bitter drink but there was nothing she could do. The horrible cyclone kept her from dodging and her ki was too low to withstand another blast. Casting her mind out for options she decided on the only thing she could do. The dishonor to all the families involved needed to be avenged and she was the only one to do it. Summoning all the power she had left, coupled with the certainty that she was not going to survive, she called out to their ancestors to bless her decision. When she felt her energy expand greatly she knew she had been heard. With a look of cold finality she regarded her brother and felt the tears fall. Maybe if he had to learn his lesson like this than maybe he wouldn't repeat it.

"Shi Shi Hokodan!" he cried out again, fuelling his depression with the knowledge that he was killing his own sister. The girl who loved him and had trained with him in their art. The only one who tried to understand him, but sadly he had come too far to back out now as the depression bomb left his hands thus beginning a terrible chain of events. Sora leapt forward at top speed, crashing into the attack with her aura fully extended, and forcing her way through. Several times she almost failed, her clothes disintegrating from the force of the blast, burns appearing on her body, but she would not stop. With one last gasp of energy she was through much to Ryoga's shock. Without thinking about it, he caught her in his arms, finding her own arms thrown around him. He was left staring down at her as she looked up at him, her eyes dimming with either exhaustion or death he didn't know, but he held her.

"R-Ryoga…be a good…boy…okay?" she asked him as if the answer was desperately important. He couldn't think of anything to say so he answered her the best way that he could.

"You win, Sora. You're the heir to the school and I won't use the family style again. I don't deserve it." The tears rolling down his face let her know he had understood just moments before she slumped in his arms. Once her aura stopped powered the tornado it collapsed harmlessly, debris falling down around them. A sorrow filled howl left him as he held his sister close before falling to his knees, cradling her badly abused body.

-Furinkan-

Akane was talking quietly to Ranma during English class, since the conversation was conducted in English then Miss Hinako wouldn't be too angry with them or so they reasoned. It was pretty nice to have a quiet chat without wanting to kill the other person or at least insult them badly. They would have continued had the massive ki flare not distracted them. Ranma stared out the window in utter amazement at the swirling energies clearly visibly to the school at large. When it suddenly winked out he was left with a gaping void inside as one of the familiar ki signatures he had grown to know had just winked out.

"W-what the hell…?" the pigtailed boy stammered not even realizing he had pressed his face to the window.

"Saotome! Get back in your seat this instant!" the piping young voice of his child teacher ordered only to get the shock of her life.

"Screw you! I'm going now!" he told her over his shoulder before leaping out the window, panic lending his strength as he took off at a dead run in the direction of the disturbance. He barely registered it when he found Akane beside him, keeping up only through sheer force of will. How long had he wished the two of them could have been together in matters like this but now it couldn't be. This wasn't the time to worry about stuff like that as they arrived at the scene. An ambulance was there, loading a stretcher into the back. Ryoga was standing off to the side with tears streaming down his face. He looked up at their approach before his face screwed up into an even more hideous mask of misery before bawling loudly.

"What's going on Ryoga?" the boy asked, fear clear in his voice. The response he got solidified his heart in ice as the Lost Boy pointed to the ambulance. Before the medics could say yes or no, he was in the back of the vehicle beside the badly abused young woman. He barely knew her but she had been so nice to him. Why were the new people so nice to him but the people who knew him treated him like shit? He couldn't let it go at this.

"Ranma! Where are you going?" Akane demanded of her one time fiancé.

"Drop by my house and tell Mom and Kat that I went to the hospital with Sora. If ya want the full story ask them. Don't forget to ask P-chan about his involvement in all this." Ranma fired back with venom heavy in his voice. Even though the tone wasn't for her it still chilled her to the bone. When she looked back to Ryoga he wouldn't even look at her. Something was going on and she wanted to know what it was. Nodding her head in Ranma's direction she walked away with Ryoga in tow. The paramedics shut the doors to the ambulance and took off quickly towards the hospital with Ranma holding his friend's hand the whole way…

End Chapter

Author's Notes: I love drama almost as much as I love humor. I like fanfics where everything turns out fine but struggle always makes for a better read in my opinion. I don't know as of yet how long this story will be as I don't have a clear destination in mind, but I'm hoping this story keeps you entertained. Thank you all so much for your kind words. Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and suggestions. I am keeping my promise with this chapter. Last time we followed Sora Hibiki on her tragic mission but today we shall see what Kat and Ranma were doing while all this was going on. Stick with me loyal readers and follow along as we uncover the truth. Let's get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 6

Bonds of Family

Kat lay in bed thinking about the day before. Her bed was facing the window with the sunlight streaming through to pool delicately on her bedspread in the guestroom. The battle with Shampoo had thoroughly drained her especially following in the wake of her battle with Toidi Taro. It just wasn't fair that so much was happening when all she wanted to do was get to know her fiancé. Her eyes took on a dangerous light as she reflected on all the chaos circling around him. As much as she dislikes fighting, the Marx child disliked these people even more. They were sneaky, cruel, manipulative, and generally a nuisance who seemed to only be on this earth to harm others. It galled her that she had to lose to one of the biggest manipulators. Their fight may have been inconclusive but it may as well have been a loss. The deep gash in her shoulder burned as it reminded her of what had befallen her.

"I hope we've seen the last of her. I'm out of commission, Ranma's ki drained, Aunty Nodoka couldn't possibly fight Shampoo, and Sora might wander off. Can this get any worse?" she moaned pathetically only to stop as a familiar pigtailed head stuck itself into her room through the open door.

"Don't ask, you might receive." He told her with a friendly smile as he brought in her breakfast. He bade her to wait while he helped her sit up and set the tray across her lap. After her abortive attempt to pick up the chopsticks, Ranma sat on the bed and slowly fed her. In between bites she asked how long she would have to stay in bed.

"Doc says it shouldn't be more than a week until you can leave the bed but I give a day or two tops. You're ki should be regenerating and from what I can tell you're pretty quick with it, not as quick as me of course but that's to be expected." He told her in a slightly arrogant tone that brought her hackles up. For the first time since they met she was genuinely upset with him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded a tad angrily before a bite of fried egg stopped her mouth up. The girl chewed slowly but her eyes were blazing. Ranma felt like a heel.

"Aw don't be like that Kat…I just meant that ya didn't have the same training as me that's all. Sorry." He mumbles out ashamedly. Here is the girl that helped him out when he needed it most and he just insulted her. This wasn't Akane who would react with a mallet; she actually fought back with words which he had little experience with. Kat gave him a kiss on the cheek, startling him into looking at her. Her eyes were soft again and she had a sheepish smile.

"It's okay but you have to remember that I'm not just your fiancée, I'm also your partner. That's what a husband and a wife are supposed to be. Then again so are friends. I want to be your partner." She told him, a light blush tinting her cheeks. Her pigtailed fiancé rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment at her declaration. He realized he should say something but couldn't think of what. His tactical computer suddenly booted up and went to work on the new variables based on a Pat Benetar song "Love is a Battlefield". What he came up with is that she wanted him to be more emotional and perhaps confirm what she just said. He was a student of Anything Goes, but above that he was a disciple of Actions Speak Louder than Words. With these things floating around in his mind he leaned in closer to his suddenly nervous fiancée and kissed her. It was supposed to be the cheek but she turned her head at the last second to say something only to meet him mouth to mouth. When the two finally came up for air, his glazed eyes took in her serene smile. His answering smile was a little giddy and if someone had compared him to Doctor Tofu in front of Kasumi he wouldn't have been far off.

"I think…I could see you as my partner…if you'll still put up with me." He told her once his brain rebooted. The girl in front of him leaned against him in a silent bid to be held which he complied with as he finished feeding her breakfast. The companionable silence was slightly strained towards the end drawing Kat's gaze to Ranma.

"What's wrong, Ranma?" she asked him, noticing his mouth firming up determinedly.

"Some other people in my life that's all. My other legitimate fiancée Ukyou might be a problem but not likely to take a run at you. Then there is my self-proclaimed fiancée Kodachi Kuno and she would definitely be a problem. She finds nothing wrong with poisons, gasses, and other drugs. She also believes in fighting "In all fairness before a match". Hopefully Sora will stick around today. If anyone could handle them it would be her." He told her as if trying to convince himself and was succeeding somewhat. Kat gave him another quick kiss, loving the taste of his lips and wishing he didn't have to go to school, but she also knew he had to. Ranma seemed just as reluctant, if not more so than her, but he knew his mom wouldn't go for it. His thoughts were running along the lines of that it should be a crime to kiss that well.

He never claimed to have iron control over his hormones, it was just that the usual girls were just that, girls. It was hard for him to be attracted to any of them simply because they lacked maturity. Ranma never claimed he was mature either, but it's easy to be desensitized when they practically crawl over him. He found his hand sliding behind her head, deepening the kiss as she held his face between her hands. The pigtailed boy could feel his hand sliding around her back as he began moving closer to her. When she gave his lower lip a soft bite he jerked softly but just enough to clear his head of the emotional fog. He looked deep into her amazing eyes of sapphire and emerald only to see his own lust reflected right back.

"Ranma…" she made his name a guttural sound as her breath drew in raggedly. Now he really didn't want to leave but he also knew that if they went through with it Doctor Tofu might kill him and not for popping her stitches either. With sheer will, he pushed away from her a little more roughly than he intended. At her hurt look he quickly tried to soothe it.

"Sorry Kat but we can't do this…not now anyway…I gotta get to school and your injuries…" he felt lame telling her all this as he took in her appearance. She was wearing burgundy pajamas and apparently they had been a little too active because the top was mostly unbuttoned and falling off her shoulder that afforded him a clear view past her naval. With her hair still sleep mussed and her lips faintly pouting he felt his already shaky control snapping. Noticing the glass of juice on her tray, Ranma splashed himself to hopefully cool off. It didn't work.

"Mmm…is this love or lust…?" she thought to herself as she watched her fiancé turn into a girl. Kat wasn't sure which it was but also knew that this was her chance to prove to herself that she could accept both parts of him. Without warning, she captured the smaller redhead with her good arm and half cradled her with her bad. The shocked look in her beautiful blue eyes solved her dilemma as she kissed the startled neo-girl fully and completely. Ranma reached into her top, molding them together as if they would merge into one by pressure alone. The tray clattering to the ground snapped them out of it. With even more reluctance, they parted. When Ranma spotted the clock she turned several shades of white before standing up to gather the discarded items she brought in with her.

"Hey love, fix your top." She said tersely over her shoulder before wishing her a good day and fleeing for her life or at least her virginity. Kat sat there in stunned silence for several moments as she recalled her fiancée's parting shot. Realizing that she was feeling a draft, she closed her top. Her body recalled the sensations from just the kiss then the making out with delight as she settled back down to have some naughty thoughts. Kat prided herself on her control but just something about the "Wild Horse" got to her in a pleasant way and it was clear she did the same for him. If only she knew if it was love or not, but they certainly got along well and she certainly did like him. She had nothing else to compare it to since her earliest memories were of training.

"I can do this…not for my honor but just to keep this feeling. This wonderful, warm feeling inside…" she murmured as she felt the chi flowing through the house. It was a wonderful feeling. Ever since her trip to Jusenkyo she could feel the dragon lines running through the planet. She was a wolf. Probably the most ferocious creature in nature by merit of the enhanced strength, stamina, and durability of the wolf coupled with her intelligence and training. Her training which allowed her to tap the lines directly like so few could hope to accomplish. Ranma however had vast reserves of ki to call upon and all times, rarely relying on the planet to draw from. He was probably the only one to know what means to have a direct link to power. Using the chi flows around her Kat began to rebuild her reserves as well as accelerate her healing. The sooner she was better the sooner Ranma didn't have to worry about her.

"Kat, it's Aunty Nodoka, can I come in?" a gentle voice asked from outside the door.

"Sure thing Aunty." She called back as she struggled into a sitting position, mindful of the slight pulling of her stitches and being careful not to pop any. When the kind woman came in she noticed the Saotome matriarch had a tray of tea as well as a change of dressing for her bandages.

"I thought you could use someone to talk to." Nodoka said as she sat beside her bed before bidding her to remove her top. As the two sat mostly in silence while the older woman worked, Nodoka noticed the slight bruising of her lips and mentally cheered for her manly son. Kat certainly was a beauty with such smooth skin and muscle tone. The slim muscle not the bulky muscle of course. She could just picture how the grandchildren would look especially if they had those beautiful eyes. She was so exotic and her demeanor was gentle but she could fight like a wild beast when provoked. Sora had said that if Kat hadn't been as good as she was then she would have been dead and her son carted off to China.

It was unacceptable that some barbarian woman would come to her country and seek to kidnap a Japanese citizen. The authorities should have been called in long ago. It galled her to no end that her own husband refused to stand up for his son and that strangers cared more. Kat and Sora were newcomers to the area and they were already kinder to her son than most of the buffoons here save Kasumi and Doctor Tofu! She noticed Kat drinking her tea one handed, waiting for her arm to be finished. Nodoka flushed slightly as she realized that she had ruminated while the poor girl was without bandages or a top and quickly rectified that.

Kat sat with her back to her fiancé's mother and smiled slightly as she was lost in her own thoughts. Mostly they involved a certain pigtailed young man and a gorgeous sunset. She had the young man but now she needed the sunset. Also the sundress, and the hat, and of course the right music as he slid his hands down to her… Whoa! She barely kept from shivering in a mix of anxiety and delight at the powerful images one make out session could evoke. To cover her reaction she asked the first thing that came to mind.

"Where's Sora?" the girl asked over her shoulder as the finishing touches were made that allowed her to pull her clothing together.

"I sent her to walk my son to school. With the trouble he has just being himself I figured a fresh fighter would be needed." Nodoka told her young houseguest while on the inside she was cheering at her good fortune. The Hibiki girl certainly was nice. Maybe she could help her find a boyfriend too! Oh the grandbabies…even if they wouldn't technically be hers…

"Aunty? Are you alright?" Kat asked the Saotome matriarch as she seemed to lose herself in fantasy land. Before the woman could reply however, a drunken form appeared in the doorway. He staggered in, reeking of sake and offal, his gi was several shades darker as if he had rolled around in refuse. Kat nearly gagged at the stench before noticing Nodoka growing quiet.

"Wife! Where's the boy? We need to leave now!" Genma bellowed at full voice before his eyes locked on the weakened girl propped up in the bed. A nasty smile crossed his features.

"Well…if it isn't the little dream wrecker…what are you doing here?" he asked her as he put extra swagger in his step, forgetting his wife sitting beside the bed. The chaotic aura he radiated made his target scoot away nervously but worry made her look to Nodoka. The woman's face was in shadow as her oaf of a husband got closer. She spoke finally as he stood behind her.

"Leave Genma and darken this house no more." Her voice held an icy finality that raised the hairs on Kat's neck but seemed to completely bounce off of the drunken master. He finally realized his wife was there, however, and went to push her to the side only to find her katana at his throat. The kendoka he had fallen in love with was suddenly there and more frightening than in his memories. With a flurry of precision kenjutsu strikes he was forced out of the room and quickly on the defensive. Kat just stared in shock as the sweet woman had gone from a peaceful position and on the attack in under a second. Nerima certainly was a strange place. From the outset it appeared as if Nodoka had him on the run even as they left her view but she couldn't help the intense dread she was feeling.

"Oh God…where are you Ranma? Come back Sora…what can I do? I can't do anything! My arm…" she whispered in fear but not for herself as she heard the sounds of combat before a terrible sound filled the air. It was the sound of tortured flesh that heralded the arrival of Nodoka. The valiant woman stared up at her husband as he moved back into view in utter horror of what he had done. His eyes wept freely as he reached for her only to watch her shy away. He opened his mouth to say something only to be propelled away by a violent charge followed up by a wicked kick. The stunned master could only watch as Kat stood between him and his wife with madness in her eyes. He could tell from her stance that she was injured but her bared teeth and blood shot eyes told him that even if he had the will to fight it would be a painful battle.

"No-chan…I-I'm sorry. I'm a terrible husband…no…a terrible man…don't forgive me…just forget me." He told her before slipping into the Umi-Sen-Ken and vanishing without a trace. Kat stayed on the alert for several more minutes until a hand on her good shoulder drew her gaze. The Saotome woman recoiled in shock at the absence of anything human in that gaze before drawing the girl in for a hug to calm them both down. When her hand came away wet she noticed that several of the stitches had been pulled and would need restitching. Leading the maddened warrior back into her room, Nodoka reflected on what Genma had to say, and barely avoided weeping.

-Furinkan High-

The bell rang signifying the start of school. Everyone's favorite pigtailed wonder had actually made it to class on time instead of having to stand outside with buckets. He sat at his desk waiting for class to begin while his mind chased its tail. Why did Ryoga have to show up? He always ruined everything. He always talked about ruining Ranma's happiness but what would happen if he knew how close he always came? When Sora and he had seen Ryoga on the way he wanted to knock the Lost Boy into the middle of next week but the Hibiki girl stopped him. His eyes traveled to the girl sitting next to him. The boy sighed, knowing that things would never be the same between them. The cast on her arm told him that quite clearly. She hadn't been as angry as she usually was but the lack of anger made him worried.

"Yo 'Kane, wanna talk?" he asked her with a bit of trepidation. The short haired girl blinked in shock at her ex-fiancé. She was trying to figure out why he wanted to talk to her but then decided to humor him. It might hurt less.

"Yeah, sounds good to me. Where's Kat?" she asked him. At his wince she could tell it was a sore subject but she had to know.

"We met Shampoo yesterday." He replied grimly causing Akane to wince now. She could just picture how that turned out.

"Is she alright?" the not-so-violent girl asked. Ranma let out a breath through his nose before giving her the rundown of everything he remembered from the day before. Taro, Kuno, and even Mousse had worn him down severely. Kat had fought Taro in her beast form and had won, but it had been a close thing according to her. When he explained about how he was mostly unconscious for the battle between Kat and Shampoo, Akane felt her heart go out to him. He hated having someone hurt when he was close enough to stop it. Never mind that he was out cold at the time because to him it didn't matter. When he got to the pat he woke up for, Akane had to stop him and clarify something.

"Sora…Hibiki? Ryoga has an older sister? She was able to beat Shampoo?" the Tendo girl asked, mindful of asking quietly because they didn't want all this getting around school.

"Uh huh. You know how strong Ryoga is well she was definitely a Hibiki judging by her strength. She almost broke Shampoo in half with a punch. If I hadn't stopped her she would have done it for real. Basically, out of all us she wasn't hurt, I was barely wounded, Kat had a nasty shoulder wound, and Shampoo almost wasn't able to walk. Cologne sure was pissed off but I found out this morning that Sora planned it so that the elder couldn't do anything to her. As for Kat…she's stuck in bed until her injuries heal a little. Doctor Tofu figured she would be out by the end of the week but I'm thinking it might be sooner. She's not taking bed rest well at all but she did seem better when I brought her breakfast." He said with a slight blush as he remembered how he figured out she was doing better. Akane noticed the blush and figured she must not have been decent. If she only knew that she was half right then she might have pulled out her trusty Mallet-sama.

"But she's alright? That's good to hear." The girl said to him as an uncomfortable silence developed. Ranma would have said more but just then class started and he actually wanted to pay attention today. Akane turned to face the front of the room as well leaving the two with no chance to talk until break.

Ranma fought tooth and nail to stay awake just in case something went wrong but nothing did. He was relieved to say the least and at his former fiancée's insistence he continued the story ending with meeting Ryoga. The two of them talked companionably about little things like Doctor Tofu coming by last night and actually staying sane (compared to normal anyway) around Kasumi. He was also pinching his leg a lot but it must have been to help him focus. The eldest girl was so happy that he could stay in the same room as her that she kissed him right in front of the whole family which seemed to cure the good doctor better than the pinches. Ranma almost laughed out loud but managed to keep it to a fierce snicker that threatened to topple him out of his chair. Nabiki had finally saved enough to go to university in the fall as well as putting enough away for whoever wanted to go next. Apparently those photos really were going towards the house, just not in the way he imagined.

Just then a ki flare suddenly rocketed into the visible spectrum stopping all conversation. He felt a peculiar wrench as he felt a ki he was familiar with suddenly snuff out light a candle in high wind. The void felt terrible and he ended up at the window without realizing how he got there. Miss Hinako said something and he responded but he couldn't remember what he said in return. All that mattered was getting out of there and over to the problem as fast as he could. When he leapt out the window and took off he didn't think that anyone could possibly keep up but then he found Akane beside him. She was pushing herself far beyond her max but it was obvious she felt something terrible as well. He just wished they could have been like this when they were engaged. When they reached the scene they saw paramedics hustling a stretcher into an ambulance and Ryoga standing off to the side crying like a broken hearted child…

-Saotome Home-

It took Nodoka and Doctor Tofu's best efforts to finally calm her down, but now she was relaxed. She still insisted on sitting at the table for lunch rather than sit in bed. To the young doctor's shock she was swirling with energy but the body was still weak. Rather than argue with her, they acceded to her demands which is why she was dressed in a black button down top and blue jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail rather than hanging loose.

"Your husband was here?" the good doctor asked. The Saotome matriarch nodded. Kat put her arms around the older woman gently in a comforting embrace, being mindful of the stitches or she was sure Tofu would snap. The girl stroked her back gently which seemed at odds with how she was earlier. He really had to know what triggered such a powerful and violent reaction. Was it because she thought Nodoka was in danger? Even now she was radiating a force that was both familiar and alien to him. It was the chi of the beasts. He knew her cursed form was a wolf but he didn't think it affected her at this level. Then again he had no idea really what the curse did to someone aside from the superficial.

"Yes, he was here and he was drunk. I think it was the only reason he struck me but it could have been simply a martial artist's reflex to defend himself. He had no business being here and I was concerned for Kat but it appears I shouldn't have worried too much." She patted the girl's hand with a fond smile as she bid Kat to sit down again. The trio ate in silence for a time giving them peace as they thought over everything that had happened. Doctor Tofu wished that the normal chaos surrounding Ranma would give them a break but apparently it wasn't done yet.

He looked to his latest patient with an appraising eye. She was a martial artist as were a number of people in the area but she preferred not to fight. It didn't mean that she wouldn't of course but she just didn't like to. What drew his attention was how much like Ranma she was. Certainly their attitudes were different on the surface but there was the aura of the protector around her. She was a guardian and she knew how to use the weapons God and Jusenkyo gave her. Aside from Taro she was the only one who seemed genuinely happy to have her curse. Perhaps he should ask why.

"I noticed that you don't seem too upset with your curse. It was curious to me and I understand if you don't want to talk about it…" he said hesitantly but rather than being upset, he was rewarded with a smile.

"My cursed form is a giant wolf. Something not seen in nature but that's okay. I like the enhanced strength, stamina, and endurance as well as the heightened senses. My own skills and intelligence are added on to what the springs gave me as well so why shouldn't I be happy with it? It's not like I turn into a helpless animal. I am a queen of the forest." She told him with obvious pride. If she had been a wolf she probably would have struck a noble pose. Tofu was taken aback slightly by her declaration. She really was more like Ranma than he guessed at first. He would display the same sense of pride in his girl form even if he didn't totally like it.

"My future daughter-in-law is certainly something else isn't she?" Nodoka smile fondly at the girl beside her. Kat, realizing how she must have sounded, blushed deeply as she finished her simple meal. A knock at the door disturbed their thoughts. The woman of the house stood up and went to see who was at the door. Her voice called back tremulously.

"Kat, Doctor Tofu, we have visitors." Her voice held a note of worry drawing the other two to the door to see what was going on. The sight at that greeted them gave them cause to worry as well when the noticed Akane at the door with Ryoga. The girl was holding him upright even as he fell apart before their eyes. Kat found it hard to believe the violent berserker was crying so hard but it was right there before her eyes.

"What's going on, Akane?" Tofu asked as he moved closer to examine Ryoga's injuries only to find him back away in shame.

"From what I understand from Ryoga…he and his sister fought. She's currently at Tokyo General. The paramedics say it doesn't look good." She reported, having a hard time maintaining her composure. Akane may not have known Sora but she could feel for the young man beside her. As she finished speaking, a particularly loud sob attracted their attention to the wanderer beside her. Kat looked as she was about to cry with Nodoka close behind her.

"We better get down to the hospital to check on her." Tofu suggested but then Nodoka's head came up.

"What about my son?" she asked in a frightened whisper only to have the Lost Boy surprisingly ease her fears.

"He went to the hospital with my sister. Oh gods…what have I done?" he managed to get out before the tears flowed again. Upon hearing that last part any sympathy Kat may have had for the blundering fool evaporated, clearing her head. With another person thinking clearly, plans were made to call a cab to get to the hospital. When the taxi arrived, Kat took the front seat without asking anyone. Judging by the stiffness in her spine it was to avoid sitting anywhere near Ryoga. Nodoka sat on the other side of the Lost Boy as Akane sat near the door. They didn't want him to somehow wander off by accident. Doctor Tofu it turns out had a car and went on ahead to see what he could do. The driver felt as if he was in the middle of a Mexican standoff. He prayed he wasn't there when the shooting started.

"I'm sure she'll be alright. Ranma's taken quite a bit of damage before and he always springs back. Sora's strong and she has support so it shouldn't be too different for her." Nodoka tried saying only to be interrupted by Ryoga.

"She charged through a Shi Shi Hokodan…a full power Shi Shi Hokodan…" he whispered mournfully. The driver's hopes of escaping in one piece were dashed as Kat snarled like an angry wolf. Nodoka reached for the girl's free hand and clutched it gently from the back seat. The girl wanted so badly to rip him apart but he was doing a good job of doing it himself. There was nothing she could do so she merely sat back and tried to meditate. Akane held Ryoga's hand as he let out his grief. She was reminded of the day her mother died and how her father reacted. None of them could stop crying either. Akane prayed the girl would survive because she was certain it would kill him. That is if the attitudes of the people around them were any indication. Even Aunty Nodoka was frosty towards the Hibiki lad. When they reached the hospital, the woman took his hand and held him back. With a look she sent the girls scurrying inside while she pulled the mystified young man to a corner of the parking lot away from prying eyes.

"Uhm…Saotome-san…what about Sora?" his confusion was so great that he wasn't crying. The matriarch of the Saotome clan stared at him and through him. Her gaze chilled a part of his soul.

"We need to talk, P-chan." Ryoga felt his world turn upside as everything went black…

-Inside the Hospital-

It didn't take long to find Ranma. He was sitting in the waiting room with his hands clasped between his knees and his head bowed. The lights above his head almost gave him the appearance of a halo as the tears slowly fell down his face. The sound of feet approaching forced him to lift his head. When he saw Akane and Kat standing together he got to his feet shakily. Only his superior reflexes allowed him to catch both girls when they barreled into his chest, all three teens drawing strength from one another. A quick kiss was shared between the Saotome boy and his fiancée while Akane looked away.

"H-how is she?" the Marx girl asked the distraught boy as he sat down again, this time holding her hand while Akane held his other.

"The docs say its too early to tell…they got her stabilized but that's all. According to them "She's not out of the woods yet" like it's some kinda damn hiking trip! I'll kill that pig even if she's fine. It's one thing to break a few bones but he should have known better. He should have…" his rant faltered as his loathing turned inward. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was thinking.

"Ranma, it wasn't your fault. These things happen. Any time you and Ryoga would fight it could have happened. She's a Hibiki and you know they're tough. She'll pull through." Akane told him as Kat nuzzled into his side, providing what comfort she could. The Tendo child inwardly groaned. Why did she have to be so stupid? At least they were still friends which is more than she was expecting. Footsteps approaching drew their gaze upward. A doctor was approaching them with Doctor Tofu.

"How is she doc?" Ranma asked in a whisper, almost as if by speaking louder he might kill her. The doctor smiled to ease his fear while Tofu nodded with a twinkle in his eye.

"She's out of surgery but she's still unconscious. If she wakes up before morning it will be a miracle. Actually I find it a miracle that she survived it. The internal injuries were too numerous to count. Your friend here suggested that she had expended all her ki which is why she was so bad off. Since he's a good friend I'm inclined to believe him. You can go see her if you like. If you'll excuse me." He told them with a slight bow before he went to check on other patients. The teens let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.

"Ready to see her?" Tofu asked kindly. He was almost bowled over by enthusiastic teens before he managed to corral them and get them heading in the same direction. As they passed the doors, Nodoka entered and fell in step with them.

"Where's Ryoga?" Akane asked Ranma's mother. The woman grew slightly colder at the mention of him but answered nonetheless.

"He couldn't bring himself to face his sister" 'or you' she thought privately "so he went on a journey to atone for his transgressions. He no longer is allowed to practice his family style so he wishes to fix the state of his soul as he put it." She told the awestruck teens. It was hard to believe but no one questioned it. Why would she lie to them? With that thought pushed to the side they continued on to the hospital room where their friend slept.

-Somewhere-

Ryoga sat atop a mountain somewhere. He had no idea where he was but it certainly wasn't Japan and for that he was grateful. The Saotome matriarch had told him she knew of his curse. When he went to blame Ranma he was brought up short by a drawn katana. Like most people, he had assumed she simply carried it and didn't understand how to use it, but when it seemed to almost materialize it brought it home how wrong he was. He was told at length what she thought of his stunt with Akane and told him what kind of a stain on her honor it was. With a sinking heart he knew he couldn't blame Ranma for this. Logic was never his strong suit but after almost committing homicide on his own sister, he was much more open to reason.

"Why couldn't she just let me kill myself?" he thought mournfully but then her words came back to him.

"Do you want to cause even more grief with your selfishness? How will your sister react to that? She needs all the support she can get but if she finds you're dead then she just might want to go with you. I will not allow that. I demand that you swear on your honor, no matter how badly tarnished, that you will not kill yourself. Use this chance she has given you to make your mistakes right." She had told him in a voice laced with steel. He realized she was right but he didn't have the wisdom or the courage to fix this. With that thought in mind he decided to head out and find his courage. His heart had returned and he now had hard earned wisdom, but the courage just wasn't there. When Nodoka asked where he was going, he told her he needed to atone for his sins. She let him go, but made him promise that he would not die either due to deliberate act or carelessness.

"I wish I knew where I was…but it's better this way." He told the wind as he stood up and prepared to begin his journey properly. As he walked away, he failed to notice the surprised onlookers at the base of Mount Rushmore or the portal that opened up to swallow him.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: A bit longer than the last chapter but I had more to work through. I hope you don't mind. I tried writing a lime bit as evidenced further up in the chapter. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this installment! Ja ne!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: I would like to thank all of you who reviewed for your words of encouragement and even criticism. A writer can't get better unless things are pointed out to them. We're not allowed to respond to reviewers in our stories by rules but I would like to thank those of you who respond regularly to each chapter. As for lime scenes, the worst I will probably do will be less than you see in movies or network television. With that in mind I think we should get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 7

Time Out for Chaos

Hospitals are clean, sterile environments where the sick and wounded are cared for by the competent physicians of the world. In a dance so old that few know when it truly began they weaved and swayed to a chaotic music that flowed through them. They were masters of their domain or at least they were to the eye of one Ranma Saotome. He didn't like hospitals, but he could respect the people who dedicated their lives to their chosen Art. The boy was lost in thought as he remembered the events that brought him here with his mother trailing behind him and a girl on either side of him with neither of them fighting.

The girl holding his right hand was a honey blonde beauty from America with peculiar eyes. One of sapphire and the other of emerald that he found it easy to get lost in and who was his fiancée. On the other hand (literally) was his ex-fiancee. A girl who could be so cute it would break your heart one minute and so uncute the next that it broke your heart for different reasons. She was the queen of jumping to conclusions. Neither girl was really perfect. He was only just now discovering a stubborn streak in Kat over a mile wide and growing, but it was easy to forget that since her normal attitude was a near Kasumi sweetness.

Akane on the other hand was a different story entirely. He was sure he had loved her at one time and if she was honest he was sure she felt the same way. The problems were mostly the fault of their parents constantly pushing at them to get married and take the next step. Rivals and enemies would get in the way as well, but on top of all that was simply a lack of trust. Neither one trusted the other as they should have. Due to events in their childhoods they were emotionally immature. Any time they felt like they were getting close they would react like shy children and the insults would fly leading to vastly hurt feelings.

His mind was brought back to more important matters as Kat gave his hand a gentle tug into the room he almost passed by. Sheepishly he rubbed the back of his head, not wanting to admit that his thoughts had run away with him. What he saw caused his hidden heart of glass to break. Sora lay sleeping in the hospital bed. She looked so fragile that a single breath would blow her away. Why did the hospital lights have to bleach away the patient's humanity? He was sure she wasn't that weak but then again he had never seen anyone hooked up to so many machines. The tubes connected her arms to the machines on either side of her and her angelic face still bore the traces of the burns she picked up from a near perfect Shi Shi Hokodan.

"Oh Sora…" Kat whispered, half in awe and fear of the damage she obviously had sustained before leaving his side to hold her hand. The girl's hands were splayed out as if in supplication or as if in a silent bid to be held. Nodoka took the other hand, both women fussing over the wounded warrior. Ranma felt the hot tears well up before wiping them away ruthlessly. She had done as she swore she'd do by getting him to school safe and by salving the Hibiki honor. The least he could do was not cry in her presence. He looked to his side to see Akane. The Tendo girl stared at the sleeping girl as if she wasn't really seeing her. Her breath was coming in quick gasps and her pupils were suddenly dilated.

"Akane?" he whispered, giving her shoulder a gentle shake only to cry out briefly as she tumbled to the floor. Without thinking, he caught her in his arms. His eyes found Kat's in horror, hoping the strike wouldn't fall, but instead he found her eyes concerned. With a start he remembered that this wasn't one of the "Fiancee Brigade" and relaxed. He looked back to the girl in his arms only to notice that she wasn't paying attention. His mind made up, he helped her into the hallway to sit on one of the chairs out there. Something about the scene was bothering her. Once in the hall, she slowly began to come around. Rather than hit him for putting his hands on her, Akane looked gratefully to Ranma.

"Thanks Ranma…I-I don't know what came over me." She told him quietly. When she looked in his direction she could tell he wasn't buying it. Over time the secrets they could keep from one another had become less and less. It was both a nice sensation and a depressing one because they would never have a chance to explore it further.

"Pull the other one, 'Kane. What's bothering ya?" he asked her in his typical gruff fashion when his emotions were bothering him.

"It's just…it reminded me of when Mommy was in the hospital. The endless tubes and the smell…but above all was the feeling of suspension. Suspended time, suspended life…it's why I hate hospitals…whenever someone I care about goes in something bad happens. I don't even know her but it bothered me more than I like." She said in an unusually subdued voice. Ranma checked the hallway before putting his arm around her in a comforting manner only to be pushed away. Akane's eyes blazed at him in indignation only to be stopped when a hand rested on her shoulder. The two teens looked up to find Nodoka standing there. Her whole posture was weary but her smile certainly wasn't.

"I will sit with her…why don't you visit with Sora, alright?" she told her son. Left unspoken was the half-command to do it. Relief clear in his eyes, he decided to get drinks for him and Kat leaving Akane without her pigtailed target. Once again the angry girl knew that she blew it. He was only trying to be nice and she completely misinterpreted it. His mother was looking at her as she sat in the space her son just vacated. The Saotome matriarch was silent for a time as she observed the suddenly embarrassed girl.

"That was bad even for me…" she said with a self depreciating chuckle.

"What's wrong dear?" Nodoka asked softly. Akane looked to Ranma's mother for a moment before throwing herself in the startled woman's arms, weeping her heart out. In between bursts of tears she manages to tell the older woman everything. Nodoka stared up at the lights in silent supplication.

"Oh Kimiko my old friend…I hope you're watching right now…" she thought as she went back to comforting the distressed girl.

-Hospital: Sora's Room-

Kat stood beside her new friend, and savior's, bedside. Sora's chest was rising and falling regularly. The only thing truly wrong with her according to Doctor Tofu was a lack of ki which was fine since it regenerated on its own. The angelic face of the Hibiki girl looked even more serene than Kasumi. She was so relieved to find out the girl would live. The Marx girl was certain that Ranma would be depressed if one of his enemies had finished off his new friend. Not to mention how she would feel. She tried to hide behind a cheerful mask but lately people she didn't even know could pierce it easily. Her fingers were intertwined with Sora's as she tried to lend strength to the girl by presence alone. The shoulder ached but nowhere near as much as her heart.

"Hey Kat." Ranma said as he came up to her, holding out a can of soda to her. The girl smiled at him gratefully as she took a sip. She noticed he casually popped it open, but a simple act to some becomes a trial to others. Ranma Saotome was no exception to this as the can sprayed him in the face turning him into a her. Despite the heavy air she giggled at the sight before her. The soda had plastered the neo-girl's shirt to her front and dripped from her face. Rather than grumble or curse the redhead simply took a sip of her soda, not letting it get to her.

"How is she?" the redhead asked as she looked upon the face of her friend. A true warrior and comrade in arms even thought they just met. It bothered Ranma that her life was so FUBAR that even people just coming into the tragic comedy of her life were getting hurt. First it was Kat and now it was Sora. It was the hormones making her more emotional. It had to be. Her sight was turning blurry and she felt a few hiccups starting. Ruthlessly she tried to crush down the feelings as she slammed down her drink and tossed it away; even without paying attention she hit the garbage can.

"She'll be fine Ranma…she'll be all better soon." Kat told the miserable girl as she set her hand on her fiancée's shoulder. With a sound like a cross between a growl and a sob she suddenly found Ranma in her arms, her face buried in her chest and bawling her eyes out. Her sick and twisted life crashing down on her with the force of a wrecking ball. How could this sort of thing happen to anyone? Ranma wanted to know what sick kami was playing with her life and the lives of her friends. Seeing Sora Hibiki lying in the hospital bed was too much for her control.

After a startled moment, the Marx girl held the girl crying into her chest with as much warmth and compassion she could muster even as she slowly broke down. It wasn't fair. They were children but because of screwed up parents and moronic "legacies" they were set against each other. God doesn't give a person more than they can handle, her father said. Well she wanted to know why God thought they were Hercules? Her eyes went to their friend tearfully even as she held Sora's hand again. A tiny hand reached out and held the same hand as she did. Her hand stroked the redhead's soft hair even as she held the other girl close. Ranma had calmed down a little after her wild crying binge. Her eyes were red and puffy, definitely not manly, but it didn't matter.

"She'll be all right." Ranma said in the silence, even as a few more hiccups escaped her. Kat picked up the rest of her drink and gave it to Ranma. The neo-girl looked up at her with wide blue eyes.

"You might as well finish it off but drink slowly; it'll help make the hiccups go away." The neo-wolf said even as she sat down in one of the chairs in the room. Feeling a bit whimsical, she pulled Ranma into her lap. Surprisingly, the Saotome heir didn't object and just curled up in her lap. It didn't matter that they were both girls and technically Ranma should have Kat in this position. The two went back to watching Sora sleep.

"Her chi is building back up again. Doc was right about that. We'll probably come back tomorrow and she'll be buggin' us to get her out of here." Ranma said with a small smile as she sipped the soda. Kat slid her arms around the neo-girl's waist and held her, her cheek resting in the girl's hair.

"What is it with martial artists and hospitals? It's like kryptonite to us." Kat said with a smile as well. Her fiancée shrugged a little before shifting position slightly to get more comfortable. It was this sight that the Saotome matriarch walked in on. Her child and his intended sitting together even if the situation was a little reversed. She smiled with sad humor that her son could also be her daughter. At least Kat was nicer than Akane even if she could tell that the girl had some excess baggage. Nodoka looked to Akane who had come in with her and was about to blow her top. The older woman gripped her shoulder firmly and made her look at her. The young woman looked back sheepishly.

The sound of a throat clearing brought the teens in the chair out of their musings. Nodoka stood near the door with a smile with a demure Akane behind her. The two other females came over to join them. Ranma was amazed at how different things were. A room full of women and no cries of perverts, hits with whatever object was handy or sailing over Nerima. Then again there also wasn't any exploding okonomiyaki or bizarre Amazon tricks. However paradise wouldn't last forever and the karmic wheel had turned. The bill was due so why did Sora have to suffer for it? The other women took notice of the fiery gleam in Ranma's eyes. Kat pulled her closer, but the redhead was still staring at the bed with her burning gaze. By the look in her eyes it was obvious she was a million miles away from them.

"I've only seen that look in her eyes once before. I-it was the same look at Jusendo…the exact same look." Akane whispered, half in awe and half in fear. Kat had heard something about Jusendo but this was one of the big players.

"What about Jusendo, Akane-chan?" Nodoka asked in concern as she put her hand on the young girl's shoulder. Hesitantly, haltingly, the girl relayed the tale. The tale of Saffron the King of Phoenix Mountain, the demi-god that almost killed them all, and of her revival afterward. With so much at stake it was clear that Ranma succeeded but had lost his innocence in the process. Ranma's head was hanging as the narrative drew to a close.

"I can't let it happen again." She whispered in the sudden stillness. Her mother was kneeling beside the chair, adding her arms to the hug. Akane rested her hand on Kat's shoulder. A look of perfect understanding passed between the two as they saw how badly Ranma was taking this.

"It won't dear…" Nodoka soothed her child as best she could. The look she received almost made her fall back in shock.

"It won't. I won't let it." The tone used could freeze Hell but she was careful not to literally freeze anyone as she employed the Soul of Ice to remain calm. Her eyes passed to the window in time to see the old lech, Happosai, staring into the room with barely concealed lust. As his eyes met Ranma's it was almost as if the battle lines were etched into stone.

The Perverted Gnome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts could tell that the game had changed drastically. If the girl in the bed was any indication then Sonny-boy would be in a pissy mood and definitely would spoil an old man's fun. If the glare was any indication then he would probably end up in the hospital as well under in-patient status. He had to speak with Cologne; this was too big to not have the Amazon's attention.

With the pervert gone, Ranma went back to minimum threat mode and let herself be coddled by the women in her life. Her eyes went up to Akane and smiled slightly at her friend. Akane was still not one hundred percent okay with this but didn't let it show. She answered the smile with a rueful one of her own. Their eyes went back to Sora who seemed to be smiling as well.

-Nekohanten-

The duck sat in his cage on the table in the back of the restaurant. To his right was the old mummy, otherwise known as Elder Khu Lon, Matriarch of the Tribe. To his left was the lodestar of the cursed boy's existence, Xian Pu. He wanted nothing more than vengeance on Saotome for allowing harm to come to his beloved. That girl, Sora would, would have felt his wrath immediately but then he had been ducked and thrown in here.

The wounds from her recent battle were severe but she forced herself to remain upright as befitted an Amazon Warrior, personally her Great Grandmother would have preferred if she had remained lying down. Her bandages weren't all seen due to her clothing, but her nose bandage was clear and she still sounded like she had a cold. Her ribs were taped and it was amazing how nothing had really been ruptured or crushed, but she still couldn't eat solid foods. Cologne was clearly exasperated with the girl. This had to have been the worst thing to happen since they arrived. Shampoo was staring at her grandmother through her bangs, giving the elder puppy dog eyes and trying to soften the old woman's heart, but this was one time too many.

"We must go back to China." The old ghoul said. The reactions were the same, both teen and transduck exploded in a cacophony of sounds. The matriarch let it continue for a time, placidly puffing away at her pipe and waiting for them to get it out of their system. After several minutes a twitch developed in her right cheek and she shouted at them to shut up. When she was sure she had their attention she explained.

"Sora Hibiki covered her tracks incredibly well. She cannot be killed at all or else all suspicion would fall on us. The Hibiki girl is currently in the hospital which would be a perfect time to deal with her, but once again we would be under suspicion for it. Also we are not allowed within fifteen hundred feet of Ranma due to a restraining order placed on us by his mother. Apparently she holds some clout with the government. So because you turned a mission and made it FUBAR, we have to leave immediately." Cologne told her reluctant charges. With that, she dismissed them for bed. Once out of the room, Shampoo looked to Mousse. She had to have revenge on the one who defeated her at all costs. The heat of battle was passed so she couldn't proclaim a public Kiss of Death, but this was good enough for her.

"Mu Tse. If you truly love me then you will help me." She whispered to the duck in Mandarin. The duck suddenly perked up as he waddled closer to Shampoo as she leaned in to detail her plan. Mousse had no reservations about spiting the old mummy. Once the plan was drawn up, she released him from his cage and left him with hot water and his clothes. The blind master was on cloud nine when she told him that the easiest way into her heart was to kill the obstacle, Sora Hibiki, and then they could go back to China and finally be together. He would do it. For his darling Shampoo!

Shampoo heard the blind boy run out the back door and smiled evilly. If all went according to plan then Sora would be dead and Mousse would be dealt with permanently for disobeying Great Grandmother. If he failed to kill her then it still wasn't a loss. Either way she got rid of Mousse and his ridiculous infatuation. Why couldn't he understand that she didn't love him? You can't force a person to love you. With those thoughts in mind she went to her room to rest and cement her alibi.

-Somewhere-

Ryoga Hibiki, disgraced former martial arts heir to the Hibiki Style, wandered the streets alone. It was something he had grown used to and was growing tired of. Regardless of how he felt, however, he had to do something to regain his honor. It was bad enough that he slept in Akane's bed but he nearly killed his sister rather than face the music. His tears had finally dried but the tears in his heart weren't going away. As he got used to the sprawling metropolis he found himself in, a sound from down an alley reached his ears. It sounded like a fight had broken out. Instinctively he started for the fight, but stopped. He wasn't allowed to practice his style anymore. His indecision lasted a half second longer as a girl's voice cried out in pain and fear. With that he flew down into the alley as fast as he could go to confront the enemy.

At the end of the alley, a circle of men numbering roughly five had a younger girl trapped. She was raven haired with wide hazel eyes and a bandanna on her forehead. She couldn't have been more than ten years old. Some of the guys were down for the count but the rest were taking their toll as they battered the poor child. A feral roar broke them from their game and they turned as one to stare in open mouthed astonishment at the behemoth charging their way. He couldn't be a man; his fangs gleamed in the darkness as his berserk howling chilled them to the bone. They were five, they were armed, and they were totally outclassed by the whirlwind that tore through them. In the aftermath of the slaughter, the girl poked her head out from behind a stack of boxes and stared up at him. She smiled up at him hesitantly.

"Thanks!" she caroled up at him. He found himself kneeling in front of her and staring at her from close up. The girl blinked in confusion at his keen stare before kissing him soundly on the cheek. Ryoga was startled by the kiss and fell down in shock. He took another look around and decided not to leave her here alone. The strongest man in Nerima took her by the hand and the two of them left the alleyway.

"So…what's your name squirt?" he asked to make conversation. The little girl didn't let go of his hand as the two of them wandered along. She was happy to just smile and skip along but at his question she turned to him.

"My name's Alexandra. Alex for short. Who are you?" she asked Ryoga. As he prepared to tell her, a voice stopped them.

"What are you doing with my daughter?" the man who asked was dressed in a plain white t-shirt and gray sweatpants. His hair was black was cut short, almost military style, with piercing eyes of blue and green. The little squealed happily and ran to her father. The man scooped her up and held her close even as his eyes bored into Ryoga's.

"Uh…My name's Ryoga Hibiki…I was just helping her…" he managed to say.

"It's true Daddy! He's almost as strong as you!" little Alex said cheerfully. Her father looked to her with a smile before looking back to Ryoga.

"My name is Alexander Marx." The man said to the now speechless youth. The Lost Boy felt depressed for being in this man's sight. He remembered who Ranma's fiancée was and he realized that his luck took him right to her father. He just wanted to get away from everything that would remind him of his dishonor.

"What's the matter son? You look a little down. Come on home with me and we'll talk about it. You did help my daughter after all." Alexander said to him before beckoning the youth onward. That was the other reason he was depressed. He wasn't supposed to use his martial arts but he had. Then again, there could hardly be any dishonor in saving a child. Maybe he'd ask this pinnacle of the fighting world. Everyone had heard of Alexander the Great.

"Well sir, I-I did some things that were pretty unforgivable." He started to say. Without further ado, he launched into the whole sordid tale of why he was here without mentioning Akane's name. It was painful and cathartic to tell someone. He half expected to be suddenly turned away but by the end of his tale a hand was on his shoulder.

"I can tell it hurts you quite a bit. You did the right thing in trying to seek your honor but the stain can't ever be erased if you don't tell the young woman whom you dishonored. However, I can also tell that you're not ready to go back yet. You can stay with Alex and me since I have been looking for a new student." Alexander said to Ryoga. The Lost Boy openly wept at the offer. Why should he be shown such consideration?

"Why are you doing this?" he asked incredulously. His new sensei looked at him with a wide grin that was somehow frightening.

"You won't thank me once the training starts. Believe me, you won't thank me. I will put you through the crucible and grind out your impurities. The only thing I will ask is that you never use what I teach you for impure ends. Only use these skills to protect the weak and in the betterment of the Art. By the time you are done you will be greater than ever before but until the stains on your honor are cleansed then it will mean nothing. That you will have to deal with on your own." Sensei said to Ryoga. The Lost Boy nodded in wonder. The man smiled and passed his daughter to Ryoga to carry for awhile. Strangely enough, Ryoga found it easy to follow the good man that had agreed to teach him.

"Well, I also met your daughter. She's engaged to Ranma Saotome and is a pretty good martial artist. Though her curse is a real prize too. She got lucky there." The boy said easily. Alexander and Alex both stared at the boy.

"My sister is cursed?" she exclaimed in shock. Ryoga realized that her family probably didn't know about that until he told them.

"What happened to my daughter?" Alexander demanded. He was really in the hot seat now. It was then that he decided to just go for broke and mentioned how they first met. Ryoga's defense was that he thought she was just an ordinary wolf.

"Okay, she was bigger than an ordinary wolf but I just assumed she was an animal. After I knocked her away, Ranma punched me into the next ward." The tundra wouldn't be plausible, but the ward would. "Her curse is actually one of the better ones and she likes it. Mine is a little black piglet and Ranma's is a girl. Out of the three of us hers is actually pretty cool." Ryoga said as they reached the man's house. It was a two story house with a dojo behind it. He asked what state they were in and was told they were in San Francisco.

"Well, I'm going to get dinner ready. You get washed up. Alex, show him where the bathroom is, k?" Alexander said before quickly gathering things together. The house was nice and to his surprise he found that he didn't have to follow the little girl as closely as he thought, but he still found himself veering off course.

"Daddy is teaching me martial arts as well. I can't wait to see what he starts you on! This is going to be so cool!" Alex said cheerfully before leaving him to wash up in the bathroom. It was definitely a western bathroom. As he washed his hands, he happened to notice his reflection in the mirror and gave himself a smile.

"Maybe…the kami don't hate me after all." He murmured before cleaning up and heading down to dinner. Tomorrow would start the first day of his new life and new challenges to go with it.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Whew…sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I didn't want to release it until it was up to my normal standards. The story will still focus on Ranma and Kat, but I couldn't just leave Ryoga out in the cold. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Until next time, ja ne!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: This story just keeps evolving. I'm going to make this the best story I can and I thank you all for being patient with me. Also, I would like to thank all of you for reviewing. Thank you and let's get on with the show!

Chapter 8

Cat's Dreams, Duck's Follies

The wedding had been beautiful. Everyone that the couple knew was there and was cheering them on. The bride brought her lips up and kissed her groom, now husband, with passion and fervor. He returned the kiss with just as much warmth and love as she was giving to him. When she pulled her face back from his, her eyes were moist as she regarded the eyes before her.

"Darling husband…I have waited so long…" she told the suddenly awestruck young man in front of her. His eyes became warmer before finally coming into focus more. They were a deep blue that she could easily get lost in.

"Shampoo…" her husband, Ranma, began only to stop as his face twisted into a smile. "How could I love you when I have Kat?" the words tore through her like a blizzard of knives, shredding her heart and piercing her soul. The purple haired young woman stared at her beloved in shock even as the blonde whore slid her arms around his waist. She wanted to kill her. She wanted to tear her into such tiny pieces that not even her dentist could identify her. The Amazon howled in pain and rage as the crowd's cheers turned into jeers.

"Why? Why must you do this?" she begged as her heart broke. Ranma looked back to her after kissing Kat lingeringly. The pigtailed boy seemed to actually think about it before his smile turned evil.

"Maybe because she's not a bimbo like you or maybe it's because she's not a barbarian from a backwater village? Hah, maybe it's because she never tried to drug me or trick me into going home with her? You might have had a chance if you hadn't tried to kill me just for being better! So what if I was a girl at the time?" he was obviously warming up to his subject. The hits were coming too fast for Shampoo to argue and even worse they rang true. She fell to her knees, sobbing her heart out as she heard the scorn in his voice.

"Why would he want a barbarian princess when he's got me? I'll never treat him like he's inferior for being male." Kat said with a taunting lilt to her voice. Shampoo punched the ground so hard it cracked but could do no more. Suddenly her clothes turned to rags and her hair grew limp. As she knelt in squalor, her eyes fell upon Ranma and Kat, leaving the church arm in arm, with her wearing the dress that should have been hers. How did that happen? This was her wedding day! It was her day to shine! The day when she finally got Ranma…

Shampoo sat up suddenly in bed, tears streaming from her eyes, before fumbling with the light. She sat there with her face in her hands as the dream replayed mockingly in her head. It felt so real that she had trouble even now distinguishing it from reality. The words that dream Ranma spoke were true. She should know, she thought about her actions often enough that the recriminations were anything but false.

"How did I get into this mess?" she asked herself as she gathered the picture of her and Ranma on Toma's Island to her chest. He had given up a chance at a cure for Akane. For that violent tomboy! The Kitchen Destroyer hadn't even truly appreciated what she had and apparently neither had she. Now it was all falling apart because of one little girl who showed him something he badly needed. If she had been less blind she would have tried that herself but she knew what they said about hindsight being twenty-twenty. Kat showed him affection and genuine understanding. She was his friend first and had actually sacrificed her honor to give him a way out. Of course she knew about that! Nabiki made sure everyone did.

"That damn mercenary didn't need to look so smug." Shampoo grumbled as she remembered that conversation. She had shown up looking for her Airen yesterday when she saw Nabiki doing a rather brisk business on information. Now she would usually buy the information like anyone else but she didn't feel like it today. She only had eyes for her Airen who was sitting with a girl other than Akane. That was confusing in and of itself but then Taro attacked and cold water sprayed everywhere. The part-time cat managed to avoid the geyser but she didn't avoid seeing the girl turn into a wolf so huge it could eat her cat form in a gulp. The wolf wasted no time in running off the grounds with Ranma with Taro giving hot pursuit.

"Hey Shampoo, I can give you the juicy details for say…twenty-five hundred yen." Nabiki said as she sidled up to the Amazon. It startled the girl how stealthy the mercenary could be. She could give Ranma a run for his money, but then again she always does. For his money anyway. There was too much that she didn't know so she slapped the money in her palm and waited for Nabiki to count it before stashing it somewhere. The Amazon couldn't figure out where she put it for the life of her.

"Mercenary Girl tell Shampoo what she want now." Shampoo demanded. The girl with the pageboy cut simply chuckled softly before taking a more professional stance.

"Her name is Katrina Marx. She came to us from America by way of Jusenkyo. It turns out that Genma Saotome had made an agreement before the one with our family. She is the heir to her school and has a more legitimate claim than our family. Her cursed form is a wolf as you saw. She was challenged by Akane for the right to keep Ranma which my sister lost. Afterward, Kat let Ranma go to pursue his own happiness regardless of the cost to his honor." Nabiki told the elated girl.

"Akane not fiancée any longer and neither is Wolf Girl?" Shampoo couldn't help squealing happily. If that was the case her only rival was Ukyou; Kodachi didn't count. Before she could work herself into a frenzy the mercenary held her hand up to forestall her erroneous conclusion.

"Hold it. From what my agents found out this morning he agreed to marry her because of what she risked for him. I did give you some advice when you came back here. You asked how to get him and I said to appeal to his sense of honor. I said try being his friend. You didn't do that and now you're seeing how well it works. Too bad about that. Have a nice day Shampoo." The girl walked away with a confident step. Shampoo almost killed her right there but it was galling to admit that she had messed up. Her great grandmother had told her the same thing but she knew better.

"…Shampoo mess up big time." She muttered dejectedly before heading back home, the ramen she brought for Ranma long forgotten in her grasp.

The Amazon wept for what could have been but managed to cheer herself up with what was going to happen. Mousse would kill the girl that disgraced her in combat. Effectively he would remove himself from her hair forever. Maybe if things went well enough she might be able to finish off the girl with the weird eyes. She giggled at the idea; her eyes were a little crazed as she lay back down on her bed. Everything would work out fine and the only part of her dream that would come true would be the first part.

Cologne was also having a hard time sleeping. Perhaps it was because of the problems weighing on her or perhaps it was her unwanted houseguest. Sitting across from her was Happosai. The lecher was genuinely agitated about something and had taken solace in his pipe much like she was doing. It must be something important for him to have come to her but so far he wasn't talking. The Amazon Matriarch was also contemplating things. Their actions since they got here were deplorable. Just because she believed in the power of the Amazons didn't give her the right to be so reckless.

"The boy is stressed." Happosai said suddenly. The suddenness of the statement took her off guard but she quickly regained her composure. The old fool looked worried.

"We're all stressed." She countered only to have a pitying look leveled upon her. It didn't make her as angry as she expected. The look left her feeling wary. If it made him nervous then it might be more than he could handle.

"Does our stress result in dead gods and destroyed mountains?" he fired back with some asperity. The bald statement left her speechless. She had heard of what happened but it had happened there and not here. Distance always made things feel less real. When no real response was forthcoming Happosai continued.

"He was in girl form, surrounded by beautiful female bliss, but the look in her eyes was enough to make me ignore it. Your "Son-in-Law" looked as if he was about ready to go twelve rounds with the both of us. My heir was pissed in a spectacular fashion. They were at the hospital and watching over a girl lying there. Now she was beautiful too but that's not what caught my attention. It was the sheer anger Ranma had. I don't know the girl but she had those Hibiki fangs." He said. Cologne swallowed convulsively, the noise loud in the stillness. The old man looked to his former wife and sometime compatriot.

"Her name is Sora Hibiki. She's the heir to the Hibiki Style and was put in the hospital by her brother. He has since vanished as usual but I understand that the girl was walking Ranma to school after my great granddaughter tried to remove her obstacle the day before. I don't know if you heard…" she said to Happosai. When he shook his head she explained the whole situation to him. At the mention of Taro he groaned loudly.

"That was my fault. So if Taro hadn't shown up or Mousse and Kuno, then Shampoo wouldn't have been such a problem? Never mind my foolishness. It was a combination of all of it. Right?" he asked while waiting for the hit to come. When no blow occurred, he looked to the old crone. Cologne was staring at him in disbelief.

"What have we done? Children are involved and we've played with their lives like chess pieces. No, more like dolls. Did we even care if they broke? I can't believe this…how did we forget they were kids? I've treated them like warriors for so long that I failed to notice that Ranma isn't even shaving regularly yet!" she exclaimed in a horrified whisper. It was a lot to digest but it had to be done. The honor of the Amazons was to be upheld by the Matriarch in all things but she had failed to consider how it would affect the children. Shouldn't a good leader take all things into consideration?

"This is just one of those things. We can't think of everything or even try to understand everything. We can't fix the problems without acknowledging them of course, but we also can't beat ourselves up for mishandling the situation. Ranma's probably going to do that for us." He said ruefully.

"I better talk to Shampoo tomorrow. Not to mention I need to talk to Mousse. I can't have them both being loose cannons. This will be difficult enough to salvage without aggravating the problem." Cologne said even as she got up to finish packing. The Grandmaster of the Anything Goes Style watched her as he puffed at his pipe. He figured that if he was a little wiser he would be packing to leave as well, but he smiled as he realized that it wouldn't be nearly this much fun elsewhere. Who else would look after his silky darlings?

"Well, I'm going to let you get back to packing. I suggest taking a head count tonight though." Happosai told her even as he bounded out the window. The Matriarch stared at the place he just vacated with a sense of dread. Of course, Murphy's Law, if it can go wrong it will go wrong. The old woman rushed to her great granddaughter's room and was relieved to find her in her bed.

"What's wrong Great Grandmother?" Shampoo asked in Mandarin. Her grandmother just smiled at her and waved her back down. The young Amazon complied, feeling unusually comforted by the elder's smile.

"Just checking a few things dear. You go to sleep now since we have a big day tomorrow." The elder said. Shampoo nodded and lay back down before snuggling up to get comfortable. Cologne shut the door and paused. The only one unaccounted for now was Mousse and she was pretty sure he was still in his cage. Her granddaughter wouldn't have just let him out, but then again she didn't want to cause an international incident by not checking. She checked the rest of the Nekohanten with a heavy heart. It didn't take a genius to see that the duck had flown the coop and even worse was probably out stalking the one he blamed for all this. Cologne had no idea what kind of lead Mousse had on her but she had to hope for the best.

-Hospital: Ranma-

A lone redhead sat beside the bed of a girl who had been hurt trying to help her. It hurt so much that people just getting involved in her life could become casualties. She was a casualty of the anger that surrounded Ryoga. Sora Hibiki had apparently defeated Ryoga in a permanent way without killing him. She took away his right to practice their family art. The attempt left her here, weak and tired. The doctors knew of the Nerima Wrecking Crew and had let Ranma stay because of that. It would not have looked good on the hospital if someone had come and finished off their patient while she rested.

"Sora…" Ranma whispered as she held the girl's hand. She asked to be left alone when it became clear that everyone insisted on staying the night. It wasn't fair for them to lose sleep when this was her fault. If she had only been stronger or maybe if she hadn't left Sora alone. Her thoughts ran around in circles and she couldn't seem to find where they began or where they ended.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. No way in hell. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." The redhead whispered fiercely. The chaos surrounding her life had subsided after Jusendo. That was a time to rejoice. There was no new fiancées, no new rivals, and she wasn't even getting hit as much. It was pure bliss but apparently Chaos wasn't finished with its favorite punching bag. Kat came into her life. Now that was a good thing actually. Only problem with that was then Taro showed up. The next time she saw Taro he was going to be singing soprano and eating his meals through a straw. That bastard was as arrogant as ten Saffrons and more vicious.

She looked upon Sora again with sad eyes. The young warrior was so strong that it was hard to believe she was here. Then again, it was that same strength that kept her alive. Ranma took a look around almost as if she was waiting for a bomb to drop before looking back to Sora. Hesitantly, the neo-girl reached out and gave her friend a hug while being mindful of the tubes.

"I hope you still want to be my friend. I sure as hell want to be yours." The girl whispered in her friend's ear before feeling a pair of arms come up and circle her back. Ranma looked down in surprise only to smile happily at the sight. Sora was awake and was smiling as well. Her eyes were a little misty.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily. We're still gonna be friends no matter what." Her voice was a little strained from disuse. Ranma pulled back, stroking her friend's hair back from her forehead. The Hibiki girl rolled her eyes as she realized she was in a hospital, but it was clear that she had been expecting something else.

"Want me to get ya a drink?" Ranma offered. The girl on the bed cleared her throat a few times before nodding. The neo-girl nodded "I'll be back in a bit." She said over her shoulder as she left the room. It was with a much lighter step that she went down the hall. When she reached the nurse's station she told the girl on duty that Sora Hibiki was awake. The girl gave her a smile and thanked her before calling up the doctor.

"Well, I guess I was wrong…" the redhead said as she got a soda from the vending machine. It was good to know that not every situation could go wrong. "Just most of them." She mused with a small smile. As she got closer to the room, she thought she heard noises from inside. Without hesitation she rushed into the room and skidded to a halt in horror. There was Mousse standing over Sora's bed with a pillow over her face.

-Hospital: Sora-

After the door shut, Sora let out a small sigh of relief. She was sure that she was a goner when the Shi Shi Hokodan was released. Hell, it was expected. The battle had taken its toll on her and she hadn't expected to survive. Judging by Ranma's reaction that was the general consensus.

"Ryoga…I wonder what you're doing right now little brother." She mused to herself as she got comfortable on the hard bed. Hospitals were her least favorite place to be. The needles, the sterile smell, and the even more sterile people. She was going to demand that they let her out tomorrow. This was cruel and unusual punishment for someone who is used to seeing the sky. A sound from near the window drew her attention. When a man in white robes crept in she was sure that the weirdness index had gone up twenty points.

"Who are you?" she managed to get out in a whisper. The longhaired man looked in her direction; his glasses were so thick that she couldn't make out the eyes behind them. He padded over to her bed with the skill of a hunting cat. Not once did he say anything or show his acknowledgement of her question. The silence was making her nervous. She went to hit the call button but a thrown dagger severed the cable deftly.

"Sora Hibiki…you have harmed my beloved Shampoo. I can't even begin to describe how angry I am or even how much I'm going to enjoy this." He said with a sneer. Sora went to bring her arms up at least to defend herself but she was too tired, nothing was working. His smile turned even more vicious as he backhanded her across the face. Stunned tears filled her eyes as she looked up at him. He seemed to be enjoying this. Without saying another word he took her pillow before cracking her across the mouth again.

"Don't do it. You won't make it out of here." Sora warned. The crazed young man degenerated into a fit of giggles at her brave front. He knew she was bluffing. There was no one around to save her. It was too perfect. He would have his revenge and be out the window before anyone was the wiser. With that, he pressed the pillow onto her face. She clutched at his hands but there was no strength or leverage for a good grip. He would have gotten away with it too but just then another player in the game showed up and all Mousse knew was pain.

-Hospital: Sora's Room-

Ranma stared in stunned disbelief at the tableau. There was Mousse with a pillow of Sora's face. It was incomprehensible to the neo-girl. Sure he threatened to kill people before but he never actually did it. It was a horrific sight. Sora's hands clutched with waning strength at Mousse's wrists but he bore down inexorably. The scene before her made her mind snap. It was like the Neko-ken only she could still see. The whole room took on a bloody hue before she exploded forward, warping the very air around her with the speed of her assault.

Mousse seemed to sense the oncoming charge and turned to stare in amazement at Ranma. The neo-girl looked as if she was ready to kill and had brought her fist back, the one holding the soda, for one helluva haymaker. The blind boy tried to bring his arms up to defend, but Sora still held his wrists! Her strength had become something of nightmares as he took the fist across the jaw, blood flying from his mouth. The can of soda exploded, spraying the room in soda but it wasn't cold. Mousse tried to figure out why he was still human when he felt the heat from the Saotome girl's burning aura.

"S-Sao-Saotome…" he stuttered weakly, his tongue was shredded by his teeth and his gums were split. The first hit was not the last as the left hand came around and uppercutted him in the gut, picking him up and throwing him violently into the wall. The sound of bones snapping was clearly heard even over Ranma's audible growling. Mousse could tell even without checking that his ribs were shattered. His eyes turned blearily over to Saotome only to see her red aura flickering over the ceiling. It was clear to the boy that he was as good as dead if no one came.

"Mousse…" her voice came out as a guttural noise of purest viciousness. Ki claws sprang into existence on her fingertips, blood red just like the color of her aura. Her eyes were the worst, pure blue orbs without any mercy in their depths. He tried to stand only to realize as soon as he stood that he couldn't feel his legs. There had been a sharp pain and then nothing. The myopic boy didn't even realize he had fallen back to the ground. Blood was everywhere, it ran down his legs where Ranma severed the tendons and nerves with an unseen strike, it ran down from the wall where he had crashed into it, and it ran from his mouth from the initial blow. It was to this that Cologne walked in to see.

The Matriarch assessed the situation in a thrice. She saw Sora sitting up in bed with a look of awe and horror on her face; fresh bruises were on her face. Mousse was slumped against the wall trying his best not to disgrace himself by crying out in terror. Her stomach turned at the sheer amount of devastation wrought upon him. When her eyes turned to see Ranma, the girl was in her face and slashing with Neko-ken claws! If she had been any slower she would have been sliced like salami!

"Ranma, stop this! I'm not here to fight!" she tried to reason with the berserker but there seemed to be no getting through. What was worse was that it wasn't a true berserk. She could see the calculating gaze and felt the cursed boy's mind behind those eyes. It did nothing for her calm that she was not listening to reason. Not because she couldn't but because she simply didn't want to! A back kick tore through her defenses and almost ripped her in half from the force. If this was what Saffron faced then she prayed for the godling to never have to meet this fury again.

"R-Ranma…stop…no more please! I'm begging you!" Sora cried out, tears streaming down her face. Just before the claws came down, she stopped. Her eyes seemed to clear a little as she realized how far she let herself go. She was a hairsbreadth from killing the Matriarch. Her hands dropped as she surveyed the damage. The walls were covered in blood and cracks. The ceiling was damaged due to aura burn and the floors were clawed apart. She couldn't handle the damage she saw and ran back to Sora's bed, bawling her eyes out.

Sora weakly enfolded the redhead in a hug and rocked her gently. Her eyes met Cologne's in perfect understanding. Finally security came in to survey the damage. Ranma almost tore into them for being late but Sora's soft crooning kept her sedated, somewhat. The standard operating procedure for non-martial artists was to wait for the battle to be done before entering. It wouldn't be safe otherwise. Her doctor came in and took charge. He ordered up a stretched for Mousse, who had fainted from pain and blood loss. The only one who noticed when the elder had left was Sora.

"I'm sorry Miss, we'll move you to another room immediately." The doctor tried to say but was cut off by an angry redhead.

"She's comin' home with me. Right now, not tomorrow or in the morning. She's comin' NOW!" Ranma growled. "No protection! Do you let just anyone waltz into yer hospital ya stupid jerk!" she would have gone further but Sora suggested she go clean her face. The neo-girl almost barked at her before realizing who had made the suggestion. The sullen redhead went into the bathroom to do as she was told while Sora looked to the doctor.

"I'm going with Ranma. He wouldn't be satisfied with anything less so don't even argue. I can rest easier there anyway without having to worry about security problems." She told the apologetic doctor. He was actually glad that she would be going. If this got out to the other patients there would be hell to pay. Not to mention lawsuits to pay. When Ranma came back, calmer and male, it was to find Sora dressed and ready to go. He scooped her up and took off out the window without waiting for approval.

"I hope that no one screws with that kid…They wouldn't be able to handle what they unleashed." The doctor said in the quiet room. His eyes fell upon the pooled blood on the floor.

-Saotome Home-

The wa of the home was subtly off Nodoka thought to herself as she checked the doors and windows again. As she passed by the back door she opened it before Ranma even touched down. He passed his mother, carrying a sleeping Sora in his arms, before realizing she was there.

"Son, I thought she was supposed to stay in the hospital." Nodoka said to her son. The youth settled his burden against his chest a little more securely before looking at her. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked like hell.

"Mousse took a run at her. I didn't want any of the other loonies makin' a play for her." He said in his gruffest tone. The one he uses when he's trying to hide something. The mother in her wanted to know what was hurting her baby. She gave him a one-armed hug since he was still holding Sora, before showing him where to take her. One of the old storage rooms had been cleaned out by her and Kat earlier to give Sora a more permanent bedroom. Since the Hibiki girl was likely to be staying for a while longer.

"Don't worry dear; nothing will happen to her while she's under this roof. We'll all see to that." She told her son. Ranma laid her down gently on the futon while his mother covered her with the blanket. The young man looked upon her sleeping face before a sense of dread passed over him. Without even looking at his mother he took off from the room and ran into Kat's room.

Nodoka rushed to follow him, but then decided to just let it go. He was acting much like his father when he was first born. Genma had to make sure everyone was safe and sound before he would go to bed. Where did her husband go wrong? The Saotome matriarch decided to just go to bed. She would talk with her son in the morning. As she passed Kat's door she heard her son talking to his fiancée and smiled.

-Kat's Room-

Kat sat in bed reading a book she had brought from home. The story was familiar to her since it was a favorite, but she couldn't bring herself to read it. Her eyes kept straying from the pages to look at the clock. She heard a commotion but nothing that sounded life threatening. As she was about to get out of bed, Ranma came into her room without knocking, searching frantically for something.

"Ranma, what's wrong?" she asked in concern. He finally seemed to see her and relaxed visibly. The pigtailed boy pushed the door shut with his foot before walking over to her bed. He sat down uninvited but that wasn't what drew her attention. Ranma was visibly shaking. The Marx girl put her arms around his waist from behind.

"Thank the kami you're okay…I don't think I coulda handled it if someone hurt ya too…" his voice was soft and raw with emotion. Kat squeezed him a little tighter and urged him to tell her what was going on. He was silent for a time and she thought that he wasn't going to answer. Just as she was about to ask again he spoke up and told her what happened. Her eyes widened to saucers as he told the tale of what Mousse had tried to do and what he had almost done.

"It's not your fault that someone tried to hurt her. You stopped him and that's all that matters. Don't blame yourself. He made his choice." She told him with an uncharacteristic heat to her voice. Ranma turned in her arms to stare at her in astonishment.

"I may have crippled him and there's nothing wrong with that?" he asked incredulously. She shook her head before resting it against his chest. Automatically he put his arms around her in response.

"I didn't say that. If you didn't feel remorse I'd be disappointed in you, but he made his decision. Every action has consequences and now he's reaping his rewards. Mousse would have killed Sora if you hadn't stopped him. Focus on that." She pleaded. Ranma still didn't look totally convinced.

"Would I kiss you if I thought you didn't do everything you could?" she asked him. When Ranma went to make a retort she sealed her lips with his. The whole dam of emotions that had built up suddenly burst free as Ranma let himself go. Kat was a little surprised when he pushed her onto the bed but there was something about it that just spoke to her. Neither one of them were fully in control as the wolf in her wrestled with the wild cat in him. The two of them wouldn't even fully realize their actions until the morning after.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: I'm so full of ideas. I hope you all appreciate the quicker update! Thank you one and all for reading this little story. Always remember to read and review. Ja ne!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: Thank you all for the excellent reviews. Out of all my stories I'm guessing that this is my most popular. About Kat's eyes, I'll admit I thought the idea would be cool. Much like a wolf since sometimes they have two colored eyes. I also figured that in Nerima it wouldn't matter too much. I would like to apologize for not making things clearer in regards to her. Criticism helps keep my mind sharp so always remember that if you see something you don't quite agree with talk to me! This chapter will focus on what happened after the fight with Mousse. It will also be a bit lighter than previous chapters. Stay tuned and enjoy the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 9

Aftermaths

Sora awoke to a ceiling. Not a familiar one and definitely not the hospital one. The events of the night before had swept through her mind all night. Mousse's face when he stared right into the face of death. It was hard to believe that Ranma would be willing to go that far. She pulled the blanket around her form tighter with a small smile. He protected her even though they had just met. So many people would claim to be her friend but would never do something like that. She hardly entertained romantic notions. He was Kat's and that was fine by her. The Hibiki girl rolled over in time to catch the door opening. She sat up as Nodoka stuck her head in.

"How are you feeling?" the older woman asked of her son's new friend. She glided into the room with breakfast on a tray and set it across the girl's lap. Sora smelled the delectable smells and wanted to dig in, but there was a question to answer first.

"I'm feeling much better" Sora said just before her stomach rumbled, causing her to blush. "…and very hungry." She finished. Nodoka laughed softly before ruffling her soft hair. The Hibiki girl waited a few seconds before the woman urged her on. She didn't need to be told twice and ate with a speed that a Saotome would be hard pressed to match. The low ki was making her appetite voracious.

"Oh my…well if you would like more there is still some downstairs if you think you can make it." Nodoka said, marveling once more at the speed at which these children healed. What price did they have to pay for such incredible abilities. Sora, in a display of incredible strength and balance, grabbed the tray and stood up from a sitting position with just her legs. The girl smiled at the woman's dumbstruck reaction before walking with her downstairs.

"I think I can make it." She said impishly, sharing a laugh with the older woman as they went to get her some more breakfast. Nodoka really wanted to know where her son was. Perhaps she should check on Kat next? Satisfied with that idea she got Sora set up with seconds and headed back upstairs.

-Kat's Room-

She didn't want to wake up. It was sure to be a beautiful day but for some reason she felt warm and comfortable. The bed was so comfy and her pillow was so firm and…manly? That wasn't right. Kat was almost afraid to open her eyes for fear of what she saw. Two feelings were warring with her. Open her eyes and spoil the feeling of comfort or keep her eyes shut and pray it was not what she thought. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it was eating this Kat alive. Her eyes flew open to stare into the peaceful face of her fiancé. She checked what he was wearing and what she was wearing. Judging by the sensations she was getting the blanket was all they had on.

"Oh boy…" she whispered in stunned amazement. From what she knew of his life some of the fiancées wanted to get him into bed, but she wasn't in a hurry. Apparently even though she wasn't trying she had managed it. How had she managed that? She wasn't as gorgeous as his other fiancées. She was too tall and not developed enough on top. Then the curse gave her those eyes but he insisted they looked good. Nowhere had she seen anyone with eyes like hers and it made her feel like a freak. Ranma made her feel like a person and not an oddity. He genuinely cared and so did his mother. Then there was Sora who was such a study in contrasts. She moved like a woman, definitely, but she talked like a guy! Nerima seemed to be welcoming her more than anywhere else did.

"It doesn't matter I guess. You care about me. That's more than good enough. The rest is just icing on the cake…" she murmured as she once again laid her head down on his chest, his arm automatically slipping around her shoulders. Kat could have just lay there in bliss forever.

He didn't want to wake up. Last night had been pure hell to the pigtailed martial artist. He prayed that Mousse wasn't crippled. Sure the bastard deserved being beaten up but it was simply too cruel to do something like that. The courts would call it justified but there was nothing justified in taking away a person's legs. A gentle weight rested on his chest. His recollection of the night before was crystal clear, everything was remembered in stark detail to the point that in some places he wanted to vomit. The smells were too intense, the sights too intense, and the sounds echoed in his brain. Then another image came to mind that both soothed and troubled him. His eyes came open and he saw her laying there with a smile on her face.

"We really did it." He thought to himself. His eyes closed as he tried to bring himself to be upset with what happened and found he couldn't. She wouldn't be mad at him for it. At least he hoped she wouldn't be mad. If any of the other girls found out about this then he may as well make out his last will and be done with it. He could tell that she was awake as she shifted slightly. She either thought he was asleep or didn't realize she was talking out loud. When she got to the part about caring about her it hit him like a jolt. She wanted that. She wanted him to care about her. Not a problem for the pigtailed martial artist so he did the logical thing.

"I do care about you." He said in the quiet stillness. She stiffened up as he gave her shoulder a squeeze. Oh sure, he was calm on the outside but on the inside he was praying for one thing and that was for his mother to not find out. That should be pretty easy as long as he got dressed and went out the window.

"Ranma, we need to talk." Kat said to him. His eyes opened to find her face no more than an inch from his. After sharing a kiss, Ranma gave her one of trademark smirks but unlike normal times this one had some real humor in it.

"What's the problem?" the boy asked. The girl looked really nervous about something.

"Do you really care about me? I mean…we…y'know…" she was obviously having trouble saying whatever was on her mind but it really did not take a genius to see what it was. She was thinking about last night.

"It was an accident." He told her, thinking it would soothe her but it did the exact opposite. Her eyes almost seemed to glow.

"An accident…?" she asked in a deadly serious tone. Ranma knew he said something wrong. Actually wrong seemed to be a little too kind. This was the kind of mistake the boy liked to avoid but once again he put both feet in his mouth at once. Perhaps that was the true specialty of the Saotome School given how often he does it.

"Not an accident…no of course not! I meant that uh…it just sort of happened…Wait, isn't that an accident?" his sudden fit of fear gave way to confusion. Kat laughed at the look on his face before kissing his nose. She slid out of bed and went over to the drawers in the room to get her clothes. It took Ranma a few seconds to realize she was playing with him. He went to look over at her and stared. Okay, he could be completely honest with himself that she was not in the body class of Shampoo but she had something the Amazon didn't. Him. He really didn't care about the same kind of crap that Hiroshi and Daisuke did then again even they thought she was better.

"Are you going to get dressed dear? I think I hear your mother." Kat said over her shoulder as she slipped into her clothes. Ranma heard what she said and was dressed so quickly that he was done before his fiancée. The girl blinked in surprise as he took a running jump out the window and splashed down outside. So her fiancée would be at breakfast, oh well. Someone knocked at the door. Nodoka peeked her head in at Kat's invitation.

"Ah you're awake dear. Have you seen my son? I can't seem to find him anywhere." The Saotome matriarch asked. Kat finished pulling on her t-shirt and seemed to think about it.

"I saw him last night." She shrugged. Technically it wasn't a lie just that she didn't mention she had seen him this morning too. How would that look if she knew? They'd probably be at the altar in a snap.

"Well breakfast is ready dear. Also you should go to school today." Nodoka said as she left the room. Kat groaned when she realized that they would have a day's worth of work to make up. She finished getting ready, checking her stitches and had to smile. They were fully healed much like she expected so she would stop by Doctor Tofu's to get them removed after school. The girl made sure she had everything before bolting out of the room through the door. The window was for people whose curses left them human.

"I think it's going to be a good day." She thought with a bright smile as the smell of breakfast beckoned her.

-Saotome Home: Downstairs-

Sora smiled at the wet redhead sitting beside her. Ranma had come barreling down from above and landed in the ornamental pond in Aunty Nodoka's backyard which is why he was a she right now. The Chinese silk shirt she was wearing left little doubt that she was a woman. The look on her face was one of long suffering.

"Where were you this morning? Aunty was looking for you and had said she tried your room first." Sora said to the suddenly apprehensive girl. She resisted the urge to laugh, barely, at the look of panic that flashed across her face.

"W-what do you mean? I-I was on the roof." It would have been a good excuse if she wasn't blushing and stammering. Really, what was it with her thinking that she wouldn't know what was going on? She shook her head in mock regret.

"I'm not blind. You're a terrible liar you know that? I hope you at least used protection." She commented as she took a sip of her tea. The redhead dropped the cup she was holding with a dull clink since it landed in her, now his, lap. Sora wanted to laugh but the panic-stricken look on her friend's face shut her up.

"P-protection? What do ya mean by that?" he asked in a choked voice. She wasn't quite sure if they had done what she thought but by his reactions it was clear something happened. Her blush was almost as intense as his as she contemplated how to explain this.

"You know like contraceptives?" at his blank look she huffed "Do I need to spell it out? Condoms, birth control pills, a diaphragm? You know, contraceptives!" the last was said with a slight growl. The Hibiki temper was obviously in her but she wasn't ready to hit him, yet. Ranma had gone very quiet as he remembered what condoms did at least before his blush turned to a pale white. His reaction clinched it.

"Oh shit…" he stared at his clasped hands with a look of intense depression. This was hardly normal for a young man who just got laid. Sora was hardly a prude and was fairly worldly. Then she got a look at why he had said that. Nodoka was standing in the doorway with a shell shocked look on her face and was barely holding up the breakfast dishes. The girl quickly helped her get the things to the table just as Kat skidded into home plate beside Ranma, sliding into position on her knees. She looked happy and cheerful until she saw the looks on the faces of everyone around her.

"What's up?" she asked. No one seemed inclined to answer her. Nodoka looked a little stunned as she looked between Ranma and Kat with a dazed expression. It was sort of unnerving and why was her fiancé picking at his food? Sora looked like she had bit into a lemon. Then she began noticing that everyone was looking at her. She checked to make sure her clothes looked alright and that she didn't have a stain on her shirt.

"Wah! Grandbabies!" Nodoka cried out happily as she pulled the startled girl into her arms and hugged her tight. Kat had a trapped expression on her face as she sought out Ranma. The older woman was so happy that she didn't even think of the impropriety of it all. Sora had expected many reactions but this was not on the list. She looked to Ranma is utter confusion all the while he stared at his hands. He was afraid of what his mom would do next. Eventually the excited woman let go of her future daughter-in-law; much to the young woman's relief.

"Ugh…w-what was that about?" she asked in confusion after Nodoka released her. Kat had thought that every rib was going to be crushed! Their friend Sora was staring at the ceiling as if she didn't understand the question. Ranma unconsciously took her hand drawing her eyes to him. Mother Saotome saw this and decided that this would be the best time to say it.

"When should we plan for the wedding?" she asked cheerfully. There was the sound of two bodies hitting the floor and one person trying very hard not to laugh.

-Nekohanten-

Cologne stared at Mousse. The blind boy was wrapped in bandages practically up to his neck. He was lucky that his jaw wasn't broken. The boy hadn't wanted to stay in the hospital even with Cologne insisting so she brought him home. He was out of danger as long as he didn't do anything strenuous and with the pressure points she hit he wouldn't be moving without the wheelchair. The old woman knew he was lucky. By all rights his legs should have been removed but he still retained use of them. Now she had to deal with his disobedience and for once she thought that he had been punished far worse than she could have done.

"Mousse, you disobeyed a direct order from your Matriarch. What say you to this?" she asked him. The boy had yet to look at her. He had been unusually quiet and reticent since the hospital when he objected strenuously to being there.

"I have no excuse. I violated your orders without a good reason." He said. His voice was low and his mouth hurt him, but he would answer. The look in Saotome's eyes when he found Mousse trying to kill Sora was frightening. Did Saffron see those terrible eyes before he died? If it had been him, Mousse would not have wanted to be reborn.

"I didn't ask if you had a good reason. Surely you have one for what you did. Was it only because she hurt Shampoo or because of pride?" Cologne had to know what would make him pull a suicidal stunt like this. She caught Shampoo out of the corner of her eye going about the normal pre-opening motions. It was as if her heir didn't even care about what had happened. The old woman knew they both treated Mousse terribly but she liked to think that they could act like one tribe when it was needed.

"It was revenge for Shampoo, yes. I went to the hospital after she released me and gave me my weapons back." Mousse said to the suddenly paralyzed Matriarch. She hadn't told her granddaughter to give the fool back his weapons. They were to be kept hidden. He was very particular about what he used and how it was stored. It was this obsession that she hoped would keep him away from Sora. Shampoo was standing behind Mousse with a glass of water.

"Mousse you stupid duck. You shut up now." She said in her haughty manner. The water which was once an inconvenience for the boy could very well kill him. Cologne's eyes narrowed at the smile on Shampoo's face.

"You pour that water and every injury on his body will be duplicated on yours. I said to keep cold water away from him. I will also punish for "accidents". Do we understand each other?" the old woman was not in the mood. Shampoo blinked in surprise at her grandmother's threat. As she tried to puzzle out what her game was she found herself doused with the cold water and tossed into Mousse's old cage. She meowed for all she was worth and yowled of course, but she wasn't going anywhere.

"Shampoo…?" Mousse asked in shock. She was going to duck him with this many injuries? He thought she loved him. The blow was too hard for him to take. Cologne took his hand in a strangely sympathetic gesture. She smiled a bit to reassure him even if the smile was ghastly.

"I would punish you but I find you are not completely at fault. Besides, the injuries you sustained are punishment enough. We will be going back to China after your injuries heal. Shampoo is going back immediately since I find I can't trust her like I should." Her gaze went to the caged cat. Her eyes were hooded and dangerous. The cat stopped her mewling and hunched in fear. This was not supposed to happen. She was a warrior of the Amazon tribe and had no business being placed behind a male in importance.

"When is she going back?" Mousse asked. Shampoo's heart leapt into her throat. Would the blind, love-sick fool actually come through when she needed him? "Because I can't think of any time that would be too soon." She slumped down again. Rats.

Shampoo watched as her grandmother made sure the open sign was in the window as she went about her work. Mousse was eating some ramen off in the corner with his only good arm. She was sitting here with a can of cat food, the generic stuff, and generally trying to figure out what the hell was going on. She was the one who won the annual tournament. She was the one wronged by the redheaded one and forced to leave the tribe to hunt her down. Didn't she come back to China with news of a husband and get a curse because she failed on the Kiss of Death?

Then to discover all the challenges she had to face just to keep her position. Even going so far as to think about co-wives. Not seriously of course but it was the noble thing to do. Everything was working out pretty well but then along came that damn blonde girl with the freaky eyes. She came in out of nowhere and stole her airen away from her. It would have been moderately acceptable if she had lost to someone already in the game since the beginning but this person came in out of nowhere!

"Kat Marx, because of you I've seen Hell!" she cried out in Ryoga fashion, but it only came out as a series of yowls, meows, and hisses. A hefty whack from Cologne's staff silenced her vocal tirade. Shampoo muttered peevishly but did not dare to make another loud sound. The fact that her grandmother had picked up a very sharp knife might have something to do with it.

-Tendo Home-

Akane was feeling domestic today. This would normally be cause for calling out the HazMat team but like the day that started this whole mess she paid attention to the recipe. It was the day that Ukyou was supposed to come back and she figured that some fresh baked cookies would help soothe her. Especially after she told her what was going on. The okonomiyaki chef would certainly be unhappy to find out that she lost. The youngest Tendo didn't like that she had lost either.

"Where is my Ranchan?" Ukyou's voice came from the engawa just seconds before the chef herself arrived. Akane sighed. The cookies wouldn't be ready for another ten minutes or so. She looked over at Ukyou as the girl was processing the sight before her. Akane in an apron equals destroyed digestive tracts and stomach pumps. Before she could think of running, the girl grabbed her by the arm and sat her down.

"You may want to sit down Ukyou. This is not going to be easy to say." The solemn tone that Akane was using could only mean one thing. Her very posture was one of depressed acceptance. This was not what the chef wanted as she abruptly burst into tears. The girl blinked, this was not how it was supposed to go. The crying was supposed to start after she mentioned Ranma's new fiancée.

"H-how did it happen A-Akane…?" Ukyou asked through her tears. When she looked up she noticed the girl was pulling two trays of cookies from the oven and miracle of miracles, they smelled good. However the chef did not think this was the time to be perfecting her cooking or was this how Ranma died? Her cooking was so terrible it killed him and she was trying to get better so as not to kill again? The girl looked back to Ukyou who had grown disturbingly silent even if she was still crying slightly.

"How did it happen? That's why I was coming to see you actually. He got a new fiancée." She said. Ukyou froze in shock. Another fiancée? There was now more competition? This was looking bad. She must be something else to get Ranma to leave here! Akane was speaking again as she brought over a plate of cookies and some glasses of milk. They were of different shapes like stars and such. Apparently she mastered the cookie cutter while she was mastering cooking.

"Her name is Katrina Marx but she prefers Kat. She went to Jusenkyo as she followed Ranma and Mr. Saotome where she fell in the Spring of the Drowned Wolf. When she arrived here it was in wolf form and Ranma left her to me to show her how to use a furo. She's an American by the way. Well we didn't exactly get off to a good start." She itched the smaller bandage that she was wearing under her shirt. Ukyou noticed the motion and wondered if Kat did that.

"So she's another one after our man, big deal right? We can run her off…" Ukyou trailed off as Akane shook her head sadly. "I'm not going to like this am I?" she asked and once again Akane shook her head sadly.

"At dinner I challenged her for Ranma. She said that if she won he was free to choose who he was engaged to. I got so caught up that I took the terms." The girl gulped at the suddenly intense stare she got from the chef.

"You lost didn't you?" she practically growled. It hadn't occurred to Akane until this morning that such a deal was a bad thing to accept. Essentially it could neutralize all the engagements made to Ranma if someone chose to take it that way. She had left Ukyou in a poorly defensible position without a leg to stand on. The girl nodded meekly. The chef grunted and tossed a cookie into her mouth. She remembered at the last second who made the cookies but the sugar cookie practically melted in her mouth. It was delicious! When the hell did she become a good cook? Ukyou drank some of the milk as she popped another cookie causing Akane to look a little happier.

"I-I'll confess I didn't take the fight seriously. She wasn't even trying to fight back hard so I pressed the attack. It didn't work out like I thought it would." She scratched at the arm again and Ukyou realized what she suffered for that fight. The chef was still made but she was much more sympathetic. She patted Akane on the shoulder. The good cookies settling pleasantly in her stomach unlike the only time she had accidentally tried her cooking. That thing was a vicious son of a bitch that stayed with her for a week of abdominal cramps much like PMS only on steroids.

"Judging by how you're taking it they like each other, huh?" it was a bitter pill to swallow but the chef had to know the extent of the damage. Her news wasn't any better really.

"Like each other? The two of them are closer in only a few days time then we were in two years. She says all the right things and does all the right things. I'd say she's too good to be true but she's not. Kat's got faults like everybody else but hers don't result in her instantly hitting someone else for her imperfections." Akane slumped dejectedly. Ukyou held something out to her.

"Cookie?" the girl offered which the youngest Tendo accepted with a smile. As Ukyou looked at it, things could be worse. Then the two girls looked at one another in stunned horror. In all the drama they forgot something important.

"School!" the cried out simultaneously and bolted for the door, but not before Akane bagged her cookies.

-Marx Dojo-

Ryoga was flowing through one of the beginner katas of the school. He was in line with children much younger than himself but it didn't bother him. If he had to start out at the bottom he would do so but according to Marx-sensei he would be ready to advance soon. The Hibiki boy was of course a natural with the martial arts and apparently a prodigy in a discipline so different from his own. This style emphasized purity of movement and a smooth flow of motion. It was flowing water opposed to his family's style of crushing earth. He finished off smoothly before going back to a ready position.

"That's enough for today. You all did very well today, class dismissed. Ryoga, may I speak with you a moment?" Marx-sensei asked. His daughter Alex was doing Tai-Chi exercises. She favored a softer style than her family's school but that was okay according to Alexander the Great. It just meant she was an individual and he was proud of her. The Lost Boy stopped focusing on other things as he reached his teacher.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Ryoga asked him. The man smiled at him and set a hand on his shoulder. He was a powerful martial artist who could probably take him with one arm behind his back. It was nice to see a master who didn't abuse his power like Happosai.

"I'm closing the dojo for a week. We'll be heading up into the mountains to train. Would you be able to show me any techniques you know outside of your family style? I need to know where you stand and how much I will have to teach you." The man said as he walked back into the house with Ryoga. The Lost Boy was thoughtful as he weighed the request. It wasn't unreasonable and it wasn't like anyone had sworn him to secrecy on this stuff. At his teacher's look he nodded. Alexander smiled and shooed him off to get washed up. Alex had come in and immediately began setting up for dinner.

Making dinner in this house was different then in most places he had been. Here it was a family affair with everyone contributing something. Extra food never went to waste since it would usually end up as lunches for the next day or something. Ryoga discovered that he had a real knack for cooking. He was used to campfire cooking but this was different. It was more fun with a bunch of people around. The camaraderie and the family closeness made the boy feel welcome.

"When was the last time you got lost Ryoga?" Alex asked him. He stared at her for a moment trying to figure out what she meant. The Lost Boy then blinked in astonishment. He had gone to the bathroom by himself and had come back by himself with only an accidental turn into Kat's old room. That wasn't considered lost in his book.

"I-I dunno…it hasn't happened in awhile. Since I got here actually." He mused thoughtfully as he made sure the hamburger was browning properly. They were eating Mexican tonight and he was making tacos. He caught his sensei's eye and noticed the man give him a wink. Something about that wink had him thinking. Why was he suddenly not lost anymore? Hopefully it would make more sense tomorrow. The first day of their training trip.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: A lot has happened in this chapter. The next couple chapters will be following different people before I tie it all in again. Hopefully you will all come back for more. Thanks a lot for reading and ja ne!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

Author's Notes: This has got to be my best story on to date and thank you all for making it that way. Forgive my preening I just felt the need to say it. I would just like to apoligize for the long delay in getting this chapter out. Up until recently I had severe writer's block. This chapter will begin a lighter time in the lives of the NWC. Okay so it won't all be sweetness and light but it will be a shift from the previous chapters. Thank you all and let's get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 10

School Daze

The streets of Nerima were quieter than usual. There was no one shouting, no proclaiming undying love to mailboxes, and no one fighting whatsoever. Now a normal person would welcome the peace and quiet. They would rejoice at the glorious change of pace from the norm. However this was Nerima and such things were generally considered "The calm before the storm".

To the resident martial artists this was actually looking to be something they had all needed. It was a day of rest that the combat weary sorely needed. Ranma was looking to the girl walking beside him, she was staring at her feet with a light blush tingeing her cheeks. He reached out and took her hand drawing her gaze to him. His eyes were apologetic.

"I'm sorry…it's my fault Mom found out." He looked chagrined. Ranma hoped his fiancée forgave him. This was a pretty big secret to let out. So far only his Mom and Sora knew. Maybe it would be alright. Kat gave his hand a squeeze bringing him from his thoughts.

"Don't worry so much. It probably would have happened eventually I guess." She shrugged. Okay so she wasn't exactly thrilled with Ranma right now but he wasn't entirely to blame. It takes two to tango she knew and it took both of them to get into this mess. The Saotome matriarch was now pushing her to call her Mom and suggesting that they get married. She wasn't ready for marriage yet…or was she? Ranma glanced over in her direction. He was concerned over her change of mood.

"There is another problem ya know. I-I didn't use protection." he whispered the last part. "What if you got pregnant?" he was genuinely worried. It wasn't that the idea of her having his kids bothered him but the fact they weren't even out of high school yet did. The blonde gaijin was all set to scoff and tell him "ridiculous" but it died in her throat. This could have far reaching ramifications she realized.

"We'll take it one day at a time. Your mom would be willing to get a pregnancy test for me I'm sure. That should take one concern from you. So what would it take to get you to relax?" her smile was easy and friendly but her fiancé's shell shocked look stopped her. Tilting her head like a confused puppy she followed his look and recoiled in shock. Standing there staring at them was everyone in the front courtyard at Furinkan. Apparently Kuno had also heard and was heading towards them at a rapid clip.

It must have been a tribute to how much Kat's words rattled everyone who heard them that Kuno didn't even bother with a dumb speech. He merely drew his wooden sword and attacked all in the span of a second, once more demonstrating his incredible speed. His sword slashed downward at the stunned Ranma only to be diverted by a kick to the head from Kat. He regarded her coolly as she dropped into an easy stance, one of the classic stances with both hands spread out evenly.

Ranma snapped back to reality at how close he almost came to getting clobbered by that damn stick of Kuno's. He noticed that Kat was facing off with him and did the wise thing by not getting involved. The pigtailed boy was conditioned by all the times he tried to help Akane and was yelled at. He knew she wouldn't yell but stony silence could be worse. As the tension mounted, he took time to observe the grounds. Everyone was staring in stunned amazement. Not at the fact Kuno was deflected but from what had been said. This was going to be one interesting day he decided.

"That hurt you know." Kuno told Kat with an upraised eyebrow. She merely flipped him a rude gesture and tightened her stance. His reaction was everything she expected. The Deluded Scion of the Noble (?) House of Kuno slashed his wooden sword down with enough force that it shattered pavement only to realize that his target was missing.

"Up here!" she cried out drawing his gaze up perfectly. He was just in time for the drop as her foot connected with his face. The force of the drop caused him to topple to the ground creating a connection between his skull and the concrete. She balanced on one foot before leaping off her landing pad, his smashed face. The kendo boy just groaned pitiably as his tormentor went back to her fiance. Ranma absently slipped his arm around her shoulders and continued on inside. He leaned in close to her ear as if to whisper sweet nothings.

"We're never livin' this down." he said as they entered the building. Neither one looking forward to how this day turned out.

-Saotome Home-

It took a lot for Nodoka to avoid going into the "manly dance" after her child's departure. Her eyes went to Sora who seemed to be having a problem with not laughing. That problem only lasted until she was sure Ranma and Kat were a good distance away before she burst into laughter. The Saotome matriarch also was having a hard time containing her laughter causing the two women to almost go into seizures of laughter. Once the intial hilarity had passed and the laughter began to die down did Nodoka begin taking the dishes out to the kitchen. For obvious reasons Sora was asked to just sit right where she was.

"Did you see the look on Ranma's face? It was priceless! My only regret is that he couldn't stick around longer. Do you think anything will come of it Aunty?" Sora asked the older woman. Mother Saotome came back into the room and knelt down at the table with a thoughtful look.

"Well I hope not. For now at least. They shouldn't have to worry about children this early but it really only takes one time. Just one moment of indiscretion can cause a great deal of trouble. Oh well, Ranma and Kat have us right? They have friends who would be willing to help. It's not as if they're alone." the woman said before taking a sip of her tea. The Hibiki girl nodded in response to that. She wasn't about to let her little brother and sister face this stuff alone. Sora smiled softly as she remembered his concern for her last night.

"I'm just sorry that Ranma had to go through that last night. It couldn't have been easy on him." the fanged girl said with a trace of sadness. Nodoka peered at her quizzically.

"What did happen last night? He was so panicked that something had happened to Kat and he mentioned fighting Mousse. My son has never had that reaction to fighting him before." came the not-so-subtle hint that Sora should tell her what happened. The Hibiki girl had heard of the Saotome foot-in-mouth disease and wondered idly if it was catching. The tale would come out sooner or later so it wasn't as if she was telling her something top secret.

"Mousse tried to kill me last night. Your son saved me but almost killed Mousse in the process. It wasn't even a fight more of a one-sided slaughterfest. When it was over Ranma got into an arguement with the doctors and insisted that I was going with him. I wasn't going to argue considering how shitty the security was besides your son would have had nothing less then me go with him." she tried to tell her the story in as dry a manner as she could but it got away from her. It was hard to forget the fear in Mousse's eyes or all the blood. Not to mention what happened to the matriarch when she tried to stop it. "Tried" being the operative word. Nodoka sipped her tea some more but it was clear the news disturbed her.

"Ranma swore yesterday that no one would hurt his friends ever again. Well it wasn't quite what he said but the meaning was clear. Too bad that boy had to be the first to test his resolve. I would love to say it's not our problem but it is. He's going to be emotionally raw for some time I imagine. This wasn't that Saffron person it was Mousse who my son considered a friend or at least a friendly rival." her eyes were cast down as she wished that Genma had never taken her son on that idiotic training trip. Most of all she was upset with herself for that thrice damned seppuku contract. It burned her up to think of all the time she missed with her child and his only friends either wanted to kill him, marry him, or generally use him. A hand gently gripped hers drawing her eyes up. The hazel eyed girl across from her gave her a smile of reassurance reminding Nodoka that it was in the past. He was gaining friends who genuinely cared about him and would go to the mat for him. It made her smile.

"He'll be fine. I can tell these things. He has a mom who loves him, a fiancee who adores him, and a "big sister" now. He has a loving family who supports him. A guy can't get much better than that y'know? Just think, it was the martial arts that got him so many problems, but it also got him to where he is today. I doubt he'd trade that for the world." Sora's fanged grin was full of optimism and confidence. It really made Nodoka wonder how her brother was so depressed an individual considering his sister was so upbeat.

"As for Kat...I would love to pop her father in the face. She has problems that she needs to work through as well. My husband was good at leaving ruined lives in his wake wasn't he? I doubt he'll ever come back. Kat put the fear of the kami in him when he came here yesterday. She was so heroic when it looked like Genma actually was going to hurt me. If two people ever belonged together it's Ranma and Kat." Nodoka laughed softly with Sora joining in a moment later. The two of them were so much alike it was scary. Both of them would risk everything to protect those they care about. Didn't Sora see that when she first arrived? The girl had a deep gash in her arm and Shampoo had her nose crushed along with other injuries. If she had a little more power or cold water then the battle would have been over.

"Interesting curse she has. Unlike my brother's hers is actually useful. Not many people would want to challenge a wolf of that size. Considering she's not even full grown yet I suppose that means her wolf form still has some growing to do as well. That would quite a sight wouldn't it?" the angelic faced her sipped her tea. The two women sat in companionable silence. Today was looking to be a beautiful day.

-Nerima: Akane & Ukyou-

The two girls were racing towards school at a good clip. Ukyou could have normally outdistanced Akane but today the short-haired girl seemed to have brought her running shoes. The okonomiyaki chef was lost in her thoughts. The primary thought being what she was told earlier. Ranchan is no longer engaged to her because of a hastily accepted challenge. If she had been there could she have done a better job? Probably. At the least she wouldn't have recieved a broken arm for her trouble. That was probably the only reason she hadn't torn Akane's head off. She had suffered enough in terms of underestimating her opponent and losing her place as fiancee. Still, Ukyou couldn't remember the last time her former rival was this...relaxed. The pressure of the engagement was off so maybe with that gone Akane could finally relax. Just because Akane was going to quit didn't mean that she would. She would just have to see with her own eyes the things she had been told. The cookies in her stomach settling pleasantly once more driving home how much Akane had changed in the short span since she left. Her eyes sought her former rival and friend. The two of them were cruising down the street at a fair clip using fences and roofs for their highway. Akane seemed to be deep in thought.

"What's on your mind?" she was a little breathless from running but could still talk.

Akane was dashing as fast as she could beside Ukyou almost surprised that she was keeping up. It was as testament to all her training with Ranma that she could manage this. It finally had dawned on her that even if Ranma never hit back she had definitely built up her speed and accuracy. Was that what he was working on all this time? If it was then she was going to apoligize the next time she saw him. She hadn't wanted to be the one to tell Ukyou that their ex-fiance now had a new fiancee. The situation was made worse by Ukyou's reaction but at least she seemed to forgive her. That was good because she was going to need as many friends as she could get to cope. The Amazons were out as far as that went. Especially with what Shampoo tried to do. At any time it could have been her or Ukyou that felt the Amazon girl's displeasure. She almost didn't hear her companion's question. Did Ukyou really want to know what was on her mind? Ask and ye shall recieve.

"I was thinking about the Amazons. Shampoo had taken a run at Kat. If Sora, Ryoga's sister, hadn't been there then Ranma would be down another fiancee. Just think, it could have been us at the tip of Shampoo's sword at any time. It makes you think." Akane replied, more winded than Ukyou but gamely holding her own. The chef could only nod in agreement. That would have been bad. While she knew that she could fight Shampoo one on one, Akane would have been killed easily. It was a good thing that never happened. As for the new players in the game? They were to be watched. Sora Hibiki, heir to the Hibiki School of Martial Arts, was not someone to mess with according to Akane. She defeated her brother in combat. Either she was incredibly good or incredibly lucky.

"School is gonna be such a drag... What else could have gone wrong while I was out of town?" Ukyou asked rhetorically but Akane answered her.

"Don't ask."

-Nekohanten-

Mousse sat dejectedly in his wheelchair watching Shampoo. The cat was broken in her little cage. It was clear that the bubbly Amazon was long gone and was never coming back. Then again she disgraced the village several times. One was failing to kill the redhead, two was failing to marry Ranma, three was to fail to kill her obstacle, and the one to top them all was disobeying the Matriarch and embarrassing the tribe. The myopic boy knew that he had screwed up but the fact he wouldn't be in any shape to even wash his own backside for a few months kept punishment from being metted out. He knew he was no saint but he also knew that there was a fine line between spirited and disobedience. The duck boy should know since he had tap danced across it a few times even when he went to attack Sora. He shuddered at the memory. The woman had fought back even though she knew she couldn't beat him. She couldn't even move the pillow but she had still tried. Looking back on it he had to wonder if he really would have done it.

"Yes." he said in the stillness of the morning. There was nothing to do except sit with his thoughts. He knew he wouldn't have done it if he had been thinking clearly but he was fighting with his glasses off. This was not something he could actually blame on anyone else but himself. Sure, Shampoo goaded him into doing it, but he didn't have to go along with it. He was a man and should have been able to stand up to her. It went in the face of tradition to refuse a woman of the village but it was the wrong thing to do. Thankfully Cologne decided he had been punished enough. He looked back to Shampoo. She was staring back at him as if reading his innermost thoughts and hissed with rage. There was nothing cute about her now. The cat resembled a furry little demon with her fur going in all directions since she hadn't even bothered to clean herself.

"We both screwed up. There is no "I" in "team" and we made quite a pair, huh? Between the two of us we disgraced the tribe and nearly caused an international incident. The only reason I'm here and not in jail is because I was hurt so badly. Would you have taken the same pain for me? Of course not. I was the "stupid male" and the "Blind duck". Why should you do anything for me? Well I owned up to my mistake. Are you going to be woman enough to do the same thing or is someone else getting blamed? I'm never blaming another person for my failures again and you would be smart to do the same." He told her. Out of respect for the love he still held for her, he tried to talk some sense into her. Maybe she would listen to hard won knowledge? When she hissed and turned her tail up at him he knew she hadn't heard a word he said. The sound of a cane approaching caused him to swivel the wheelchair around, a simple feet for an Amazon.

"I'm actually proud of you Mousse. That was the most mature thing you have ever said which isn't saying much." Cologne said with a smirk before continuing "Shampoo is leaving with a parcel service tonight. It would be bad to keep her here for too much longer. She is quite crafty and cunning when she wants to be. I figure that if you hadn't been watching her cage like a hawk she would have already escaped." the aging matriarch hopped into the kitchen to make brunch. She threw Shampoo some raw tuna that was left over from the day before. The cat turned her nose up at such offerings and shook her tail arrogantly. The cage almost didn't survive the crack from the elder's staff before she went back to work. What went largely unnoticed was that the catch on the cage was now bent out of shape, releasing the latch slightly. The cat glared at the spot with intense focus.

'Now's my chance!' Shampoo cried before slamming into the door full force calling upon her training to blow the door off. She sprinted for the door at a dead run, panic lending her speed as she burst out the front entrance. The cat could hear her great grandmother calling out in shock and anger with a good deal of glee. All she had to do was find hot water and clothes. Weapons were easy enough to come by all you really needed was a few gardening tools. Hedgec clippers would do in a pinch. This was her chance to get revenge on the one she blamed for all of this. She blamed the blonde bitch that took her husband.

'Kat Marx because of you I have seen Hell...Prepare to die!'

-Marx campsite-

Ryoga sneezed and grumbled over someone stealing his lines. Out of everyone he has had the most experience with people talking about him or using his lines. It was his duty to keep the campfire going after the long day. Sensei had him run through the battery of Chinese Amazon techniques and other techniques he knew.

The iron cloth technique was not part of the family style so that was able to be shown. Alexander was astonished at the trick seeing as how it really took little power and concentration. He praised the youth for coming up with something so versatile. True he never thought of the defensive aspects before they were pointed out. What kind of defense would he gain if he used the technique to harden his clothing? That was only the first trick he showed his new teacher.

Next was the Bakusai Tenketsu. Ryoga wished he had a camera to capture the look of total and utter shock on his face. Apparently even though he described it his teacher had only been going along with him to humor him. It also showed him where Ryoga got his high defense from. As well as making his teacher angry at a three hundred year old mummy that enjoys throwing boulders at teenage boys. He almost wanted to see the two of them go head-to-head. It would be entertaining to say the least.

The last trick he showed was the Shi Shi Hokodan. He explained that it was actually used in mining which caused a great deal of disbelief. When Ryoga actually took a good look at that he had to agree with his teacher. Who uses destructive spheres of depression energy to clear out boulders? That's more dangerous than the cave-in or the excavation work! Alexander took a good look at the attack and forbade him from using it extensively. When he complained his sensei put on a stern mask.

"It's for your own good son. Using depression as a weapon will just make it easier for you to succumb to your darker emotions. Using emotion based attacks are not only the cheap way out but can cause irreperable damage to the spirit. You fell into the habit of using the darker side of your nature since you met Ranma again. He could always beat you because he would use something purer than what you used. Confidence. Belief in his skills. You sabotaged yourself whenever you went into battle and began channeling your anger." he put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. The Lost Boy couldn't remember a time when he was told not to do something and was actually given a valid reason. He simply nodded. Speaking of his sensei, where was he?

"Ah there you are Ryoga. I'm surprised we didn't have to hunt the woods looking for you." Alexander said with a smile. Normally that would tick off the powerfully built boy but it was said in good natured jest. Besides with Alex smiling at him it diffused whatever anger he may have had. It was quickly becoming a mental image he used to help himself focus. Maybe if he focused more on smiling people it would make a difference.

"Uhm...sensei? You said that you would explain why I haven't got lost." that was what the Hibiki boy wanted to know. Where did his direction curse go? Sure it wasn't completely gone but it was usually a simple mistake like left turn instead of right turn. His teacher set about cooking over the fire, pondering how best to say it.

"When you first came to me it was after your fight with your sister. While I don't approve of you for hurting her I can see how things got out of control the way they did. You were suffering form an intense depression. Now I believe that your emotions are linked to your direction sense." at Ryoga's astonished nod, he knew that emotions made them get lost, sensei continue. "You were given a chance to learn from me and the rest is history. I was teaching the class basic meditation yesterday which you seemed to pick up on quickly. You seemed to be quite happy with where you ended up actually. How do you feel?" he asked the Lost Boy.

"I still feel depressed about what happened with my sister a-and about the girl...but I do feel happy. This place has been great and you've been amazing. Taking on a guy whose honor is so tarnished..." he shook his head, festering in his depression until a crack on the head stopped him. Ryoga looked for the old ghoul in a panic only to see his sensei's amused smile. He scoffed at his teacher before play sulking. Alex sat beside him and gave him a hug.

"Don't worry Ryoga. It'll all work out. You'll see so just smile!" the little girl said with a bright smile of her own. It was too much for the Lost Boy to handle which caused him to smile as well. The simple stew they ate was filling but to the wanderer it seemed to fill a little something else as well. A night under the stars with his new friends was definitely the way to spend a night. Once he learned everything he could from Marx-sensei it would be time to go back to Nerima. He would show them. He would show them all a brand new Ryoga Hibiki that was no longer scared to tell those he cared about the truth.

"It'll all work out."

-Furinkan-

Akane and Ukyou had arrived late so they had missed the morning declaration by Kat but they definitely didn't miss the aftermath. The chef wanted to kill her former fiance but couldn't bring herself to do it. Who was she kidding? Her former rival had given up for good reason. She may be obsessed but she wasn't stupid. From what she could see Kat was close to being a major player. If what she heard about the curse was true then fighting her around cold water would be suicide. Aside from that she didn't want to run the risk of making her best friend mad. She did giggle as Ranma and Kat dealt with all the notes being passed their way with resignation.

Kat looked so open and friendly that it was hard not to like her. The okonomiyaki chef had just met her and found that she wanted to learn more. Not a bad feeling to be honest but she was honest with herself. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. She wasn't ready to forgive Ranchan or his fiancee but maybe in the future she could. Right now it was too raw. Her eyes went to the pigtailed boy that she had chased so fiercely. He never looked so...happy before. It was a little hard to believe but she had the feeling that she was seeing the real him for the first time. The friend she could have had if only she had listened to him. It was indeed a bitter pill to swallow.

Akane went from wanting to kill her former fiance to sighing in resignation. It wasn't that she thought he was a pervert. She wanted that to be her and not someone else. The Tendo girl had done some growing up the past few days. So while she wanted to maim him, she could also see the reason behind it. The youngest Tendo had passed cookies out to the "lovebirds". Now Ranma was conditioned by years of bad food but Kat ate them without hesitation. When the pigtailed boy panicked his fiancee stopped him with a kiss on the cheek. It was clear that the cookies were safe so he ate as well.

He said they were good and so did Kat, but the only opinion that had mattered was Ranma's. She had wanted to hear just once in her life Ranma compliment her cooking. Apparently all it took was not to be engaged anymore and her cooking improved. She snickered at the thought. It didn't bother her as much as it used to. The incident in the hospital brought it home that the two of them couldn't be together. He tried to be kind and almost got a mallet. The idea that Kat might be pregnant caused her thoughts to go in a different direction. Once again she wanted that to be her but only after high school at least. She would need a lot of support. Akane was more than willing to offer that.

"I lost a fiance and gained two friends. Okay, not a bad tradeoff." she mused before turning back to class.

Ranma was in a state of near panic over recent events. He had actually had sex with Kat. That had surprised the whole school. Half the male population thought he didn't know where to put it and then he drops this bomb on them. He scoffed at the term "making love" since didn't you already love someone if you're willing to go that far? He was naive which many girls found cute. As to love...had he even told Kat? That was something that was bothering him. He usually tried to avoid those three little words but in the wake of what they did it was a bit rude not to say it. Would it be taken the right way?

"Kat, I love you." he said to the girl sitting next to him. Kat had been leaning on her elbow with her chin in her palm. The words pierced her boredom causing her to slip and almost painfully fall from her chair. She looked to the pigtailed wonder with wide eyes, her mouth open but no sounds coming out. The girl was torn between saying the same thing back and screaming at him. It wasn't that she didn't want to hear those words it was where he said them. The class had gone silent around them as they waited for her to respond. Ranma seemed to notice that he said that in the middle of class. He was about to say nevermind or take it back somehow to avoid this but she was already preparing to speak.

"Well...Ranma I...l-" but she never got a chance to finish as the door opened allowing one Amazon to enter the classroom. Her eyes were red with anger. She bore a machete in one hand and a farming scythe in the other. Her clothing was a pair of coveralls and a man's shirt. It was clear that she was there for blood. Ranma leapt to his feet at the same time as Akane, Ukyou, and Kat. It was four to one against Shampoo but still she was smiling. That smile unnerved the martial artists. The class having evacuated already as standard operating procedure.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!" a maniacal laugh tore through their frayed nerves just seconds before the gas bombs hit. When they looked to Shampoo she had donned a gas mask as Kodachi "Black Rose" Kuno launched into the room through the window. She was even considerate enough to shut it behind her. The gas filled the room completely causing the four martial artists to collapse almost immediately. The only one still conscious was Ranma but apparently this was a new batch. He couldn't even get to his knees.

"What the hell...is goin' on...? Why ya...doin' this...?" he gasped out, trying to fight the lethargy that stole his will. The two femme fatales stood closer to one another. Kodachi wasn't even wearing a gas mask which wasn't that big of a surprise. Shampoo's voice came out muffled but understandable.

"Shampoo hate to do this but airen leave no choice. You come back to village with Shampoo. Kodachi is co-wife" she almost faltered at that, almost, but she needed the crazed gymnast's cooperation. "Be good airen and maybe we let obstacle live." Her smile was clearly heard. Ranma's eyes blazed but he had to give them credit. This latest sleep gas was much better then the previous versions. His ki was suppressed to an impossible extent. He thought about resisting but looking into Kodachi's eyes and Shampoo's revealed an identical menace.

"This harridan doesn't deserve such a fine specimen as you." Kodachi kicked Kat over and set her foot against her neck. She smiled at her Ranma-sama, certain that he would forgive her for this. It was for his own good afterall. Too bad he wouldn't see it that way for some time. Ranma's head drooped as he realized just how serious this was. If he refused they could easily kill her. Once again he was powerless to protect the one he loved but instead of finding the strength to stand once again he couldn't. If he tried the insane bitch would kill her.

"...Fine...I'll go with you..." it sounded like it was dragged from the pit of his soul to say it. There was nothing he could do. Refusal was not an option. Shampoo hauled him to his feet, striking a sleep point instantly knocking him out. Combined with the sleep gas he was as good as hers. Kodachi looked to the foreign tramp with grudging respect. The plan was perfect.

"Kodachi make sure they no wake up in time ok?" the Amazon asked. Her partner in crime nodded her head. This had to be the best plan the two of them ever concocted. The Kuno girl knew that such a feat was beyond the two of them separately but together they did what no one else had managed. They captured Ranma-sama. He was theirs and for once she didn't mind sharing. Her Amazon compatriot left the room in a hurry since reinforcements tended to arrive at inoportune moments. With her gone she could dispense with the petty notions of honor that her partner tried to cling to. There was no honor in the act they were commiting so why should it worry them now?

"Well dears I am afraid that is farewell. Too bad you weren't more of a challenge." she said haughtily as she pressed her foot down. Instead of giving like she expected a hand grasped her ankle so hard the bones ground together. Kodachi yelped in mixed surprise and pain as she looked to her "helpless" quarry. Kat's eyes were open, the only thing existing in them was madness similar to what her brother described as the Neko-ken. Her fingers dug in causing the strain to increase tenfold. The panicked girl tried to whip her across the face only to see cuts forming on Kat's face but no other hint that she was hurt. Sounds emanated from her left causing her to look to the other "helpless" individuals.

"You...bitch..." Ukyou spat as she fought through the lethargy and made it to her feet, a pale blue halo surrounding her body shot through with red. Her aura became a strange purple reminding Kodachi of the saying "purple with rage". The chef had out her Mega-Spat and a brace of throwing spatulas. She was clearly out for blood.

"Psychotic...delusional...anal...slut!" Akane ground out, her aura pure red as she forced herself to her feet. The scion of house Kuno tried to escape but Kat had her ankle securely. Kat went into a rolling kick, sliding her legs between Kodachi's and shoving with all her might, the insane gymnast crashed face first into the wall.

"Kodachi Kuno...ever heard of a last stand...? This is definitely yours." the maniacal girl growled out sounding more beast than human. The trio of girls glowing a unified red. Their target was granted one chance to scream before she knew no more.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Is she dead? Were the three girls angry enough to do the deed? Guess you'll have to find out next time. Ranma is kidnapped by Shampoo? Can he free himself or is his fiancee and the remnants of the "Fiancee Brigade" going to have to bale his pigtail out of the fire? All comments and criticisms are appreciated. Thank you and ja ne!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2.

Author's Notes: Well that was quite a cliffhanger last time, eh? I would just like to thank you all for the wonderful reviews. As for Nodoka's skill in this fic I figure that a true master can hide their skill quite well. I meant to address that earlier but never remembered to. This story isn't going to die before it reaches it's natural conclusion but I have no idea when that is going to be. Enough of my rambling and let's get on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 11

Fiancee Brigade ver 2.0

Kodachi managed to get to her feet just in time to avoid the spat-shuriken that would have perforated her chest only to come up into Akane's haymaker. The powerful right hook tore her clear off her feet and sent her spiraling towards the wall only to find her movement arrested by a hip kick across the abdomen from Kat. The delusional gymnast may have been crazy but she wasn't stupid. The thought that was screaming through her mind was to flee as quickly as she could but apparently her honorable opponents decided to gang up on her.

This was not good.

The kick's opposing momentum almost tore her in half, her tortured abdominal muscles shrieking in pain. The Black Rose went flying back the way she came like some kind of humanoid ping-pong ball only to get blindsided by the Mega-Spat that crushed her arm. The force of the blow rocketing her out through the window causing the sharp glass to cut and pierce her body. Kodachi tried to use her ribbon to snag a tree limb on her way down but the traitorous thing sliced through the branch due to miscalculation. She hit the ground with a sharp crack. The girl took a few moments to take stock of her situation.

"Left arm shattered...right leg broken...ribs cracked...sight going..." the pain was too much for her to handle. The girl long used to enjoying other people's pain couldn't even find it in herself to enjoy her own. How rude of her. Kodachi was left with nothing but enough injuries to make her hospital stay a long one. The only thing that she truly regretted was making the deal with Shampoo that if they didn't meet up at the docks in half an hour after separating the one with Ranma would leave. Her hand twitched before lying still with the only thing saying that she was still alive was her shallowly moving chest.

-Classroom-

The three girls were clustered around the window. Not out of concern for Kodachi but to clear the lingering gas from the lungs. Sirens in the distance told the teens that some thoughtful soul called the ambulance to pick up their prey. The three were still unsure of how they snapped out of it. Kodachi's gas was perfect. It kept them not only asleep but neutralized their ki so what caused them to wake up like that? Akane turned a distressed gaze to Ukyou who returned the look. Kat was still staring out the window, her eyes crazed but it was clear she was seeing everything just fine.

"I'm not sorry she's hurt but...we ganged up on her. What kind of martial artists are we? This isn't what honorable people do!" the short-haired girl was hyperventilating. It was perfectly normal to have an attack of nerves after the fact but this wasn't the time. Kat could feel time slipping through their fingers and all the other two wanted to do was commiserate!

"The kind of that wanted to survive. We have a duty and that's to save Ranchan from that evil hussy. As for honorable? How honorable is it to attack three people when they're helpless? We need to pull it together." Ukyou told her friend. The wolf almost became the lone wolf when it seemed all they wanted to do was talk but she clamped down on her irritation. She would cry about it later but not now.

"Let's go." was all she said before vaulting out the window effortlessly. She ended up in a crouch near where the Nerima Ambulance Service was gathering up Kodachi. Kat didn't even wait to see if the others were following her because she knew they would. It was to save Ranma. Apparently it was his turn to be saved after all the rescues he pulled off for other people. How nice of him to give them a chance. The other girls caught up to her as she went to walk off of school property. Before they got far, however, bombs exploded on the ground in front of them.

"You be some bad wahine to hurt my daughter ya? If ye wanna haircut so badly why didn't ya say so?" the exotically dressed patriarch of the Kuno clan cried out. The mad principal of Furinkan High was decked out for war with a bandolier of pineapples strapped to his chest. He brandished his clippers menacingly before going in for a leap at the stunned trio. It would have worked too if it hadn't been for another loud cry.

"Wattahaul!" Happosai bounded onto the scene, kicked the mad Kuno to the ground, and dropped his silky darlings on the idiot's head. When the parade of women inevitably showed up they began beating the man covered in the fruit's of the old lech's work. The diminutive pervert stopped beside the girls. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Grandfather Happosai!" Akane exclaimed in equal parts shock and relief. With him there maybe they could find Ranma! There was much the Grandmaster of the School could do to help. Ukyou also looked relieved to see the warped little troll. There wasn't much the freak couldn't do. Kat turned a cool gaze to the lecherous fiend. He looked back to her with equal gravity.

"Can you help us find Ranma?" she asked respectfully. If he could then maybe she would find a way to reward him. Maybe. Then again he seemed to reap his rewards wherever he went so it wasn't really like she would owe him anything. Aside from undying gratitude that is.

"The most I can do is tell you to check the harbor. I'm not going to get involved since it really is up to your generation to continue the legacies passed down to you. Forgive me but if I bailed you out now then it would be a meaningless victory. Take your pride, your energy, and your honor to battle. Now with the moment of drama passed...SWEETO!" the midget's attack was so swift that the girl's didn't have time to react as they glomped, groped, and generally molested before he took off hooting like a madman. The girls simultaneously checked their shirts before turning rueful gazes to one another.

"Save the anger for the proper target." Ukyou said as she fought down her ire.

"Shampoo is gonna get thrashed." Akane said with more than characteristic heat.

"The little perv actually helped us out anyway. Let's go!" The girls nodded before taking off across the rooftops. They were making good time when the violent girl suggested they get Cologne from the Nekohanten. Ukyou thought it would be good to get Konatsu. Kat decided that paying a call to Sora was in order. They didn't have much time so they set off in different directions to collect their back up. Kat's father had said on more than one occasion that the wise martial artist takes no chances. They would get Ranma back and Shampoo was going to pay a hundred fold.

-Nekohanten-

A breathless Akane almost tumbled through the door of the Nekohanten in her rush to get to Cologne. She almost stumbled over Mousse who had wheeled out to see what was going on. The girl gaped in astonishment at the wheelchair bound boy. When she opened her mouth to ask he waved her off with a mournful sigh.

"It's nothing alright? Compared to my sins this was a lenient price. What brings you here in such a hurry?" he asked in concern. It was clear that something bad happened to him but this was not the time to worry about it. When she had more time later she would.

"Shampoo kidnapped Ranma...I heard from Happosai that they may be heading to the harbor. Is Cologne here? I was hoping that she would help since it seems you all had a falling out recently." Akane remembered some of the rumors floating around that people say Shampoo in Mousse's old cage. If that was true then they may be allies in this instance. The sound of a stick tapping the floor got their attention.

"They very well may be there but why isn't Happosai helping you then? Why do you need this old woman? Don't you think you can do it alone?" the matriarch asked. She was determined to help but she wasn't going to pull them out of this. The ancient woman was waiting for her answer.

"Shampoo seemed stronger somehow. It was as if she was a different person. She teamed up with Kodachi to take Ranma and left her partner to keep an eye on us. The bitch would have killed us but..." Akane's shoulders shook in remembered terror. This wasn't a schoolyard game that was being played it had been for keeps. Cologne set her hand on Akane's shoulder from her perch on a table.

"The fact is she didn't kill you or you wouldn't be here to tell me about it. Child, I cannot fight your battles for you. If you want to save Ranma than you need to pick yourself up and do it. This old woman knows the value of effort. I cannot in all good conscience take this chance away from you. This very well may be your Jusendo. Go Akane and do your best for your friends." Cologne hopped away. Akane couldn't even find it in her to be mad. She knew the elder was right. This was not the time to be moping and disbelieving. This was the time to be acting. She went for the door but Mousse called her back. The violent girl looked to the myopic boy in curiousity. He presented her with a length of weighted chain from his sleeve. She looked at the chain quizzically.

"I'd go with you but I would be worse than useless. Take this so at least I can be there in spirit. It will take a long time to atone for my sins but I hope this helps." with that he wheeled himself back into the kitchen. Akane gripped the chain, wrapping the length around her fists and pulling it taut. Say what you want about Mousse but he has quality weapons.

"Thank you Mousse. I think this is a step in the right direction." her whisper echoed in the stillness before she took off out the door. She was once again reenergized and ready for battle, the chain a comforting weight where she had looped it along her arm. If this was their fight then it would be the best fight they ever had. As for Cologne's words about this being her Jusendo. All she thought was:

"I hope not"

-Ucchan's-

Ukyou winged in through her open window easily before rushing downstairs full tilt. In her haste she failed to notice the small puddle of water left behind from Konatsu's mopping. She cried out in shock as her momentum caused her to pitch forward violently. This was going to be the mother of all face plants but it was not to be. Her personal kunoichi materialized out of nowhere and caught her. She fell panting against Konatsu's chest, the kimono clad crossdresser found his mind drifitng elsewhere.

"Ukyou-sama..." he said in a trance as he absently hugged her tighter. The chef winced. She wondered if she sounded that creepy when talking about Ranma. With that she gently pushed away and gave her subordinate a shake. The male kunoichi snapped out of it and gave her a puzzled look.

"What are you doing out of school so early Ukyou-sama? Was there a half day declared?" he asked in polite concern. The okonomiyaki girl couldn't fault his manners or his taste in clothes. Even if she would rather be wearing his clothes then her male garb he made it look fantastic. That was both awe-inspiring and disturbing. Then again there was the time she caught him wearing one of her male uniforms and blushed at the memory. She shook her head free of the unwanted thoughts.

"No time for small talk sugar, Ranma's been kidnapped by Shampoo." the girl told her employee. The genius shinobi tilted his head to the side in confusion. There was quite a bit he didn't know about the situation and there she stood expecting him to understand it all. His perplexed look caused Ukyou to go into a quick rundown of the entire morning up to this point. Now his perplexion changed to stunned amazement. Okay, it appeared he was having a hard time grasping all this.

"W-wait...Kodachi tried to kill you...?" which was apparently what he had fixated on. Fixation was the worst. The chef could have written a book on the subject. His eyes seemed to be glowing in an eerie fashion. Ukyou grabbed his arm before he bolted for the door.

"She's in the hospital right now but the one who set her on us was Shampoo. Get it together Konatsu!" Ukyou cried before giving him a punch to the face that snapped him out of it. He rubbed his jaw.

"That hurt you know." he told her reproachfully as he tried to soothe the injury. The girl before him was close to killing him he could tell so did the wise thing and went to grab his things. Ukyou followed him to his little room before giving him another shock.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have hit you like that. I need your help and it was wrong of me to strike you." it took a lot for her to say it, but say it she did. The genius kunoichi quickly had his gear ready and gave Ukyou his best attempt at a roguish smile. All it came out as was kawaii. Ukyou felt her face heat up again before he gave her arm a light tug towards the door. With that the two crossdressers took off towards the harbor and their inevitable confrontation with Shampoo.

-Saotome Home-

Sora was standing out front trying to figure out how she managed that. It wasn't that she ended up outside. No, she had wanted to get outside, but what was confusing her was one simple matter. She had gone out the back door. The Hibiki direction curse couldn't be that bad could it? Then again she lived with it for most of her life. It made perfect sense that even going through a door would be a challenge. Maybe it reacted stronger when a Hibiki went through a between place? A transition point? Before she could ponder further Kat dropped in out of the sky and glomped her. It wasn't a "Hi, happy to see you" one, no it was more of a "the end of the world is coming so hold me" glomp. Due to her accidentally wandering through an Amazon village when she was younger she knew the glomps.

"Whoa Kitty Kat what's wrong?" Sora figured that a bizarre nickname might get her attention quicker. When she recieved a flat look promising pain the Hibiki girl knew she succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. It was all she could do not to gulp and cower but then her expression went back to panic.

"Shampoo kidnapped Ranma and went to the harbor. We need to hurry!" Kat exclaimed. It was a good thing that a Hibiki is always ready for an impromptu journey or she might have been caught without her shoes. There wasn't much that needed to be said. With a nod she took off alongside Kat to help her save the pigtailed boy that was quickly finding a place in her heart as well. If the Chinese bitch thought she was getting away with it then she was sorely mistaken.

Unbeknownst to the departing martial artists a pair of eyes was watching their movements with a sadistic grin. It would be the perfect time to catch them all in one place. Taro stepped out from the side of the house where he had planned to ambush the Femboy but this was too good a chance to pass up. As he stepped out in front of the house his danger sense kicked in and he dodged to the side just in time to see a katana flash through the space he occupied just seconds before. He dropped into a ready stance and took in his opponent. She was quite a beauty he concluded even if she was too old for his tastes. Her easy stance and the unwavering gaze she directed upon him told him of skill. The fact that she looked like Femboy helped him identify her.

"Well if it isn't Mommy Saotome. What an unexpected pleasure this is." he said with a lazy smile trying to rile her up only to be mildly disappointed that she didn't take the bait. Her smile was so cold it would freeze the sun in place. At least she might be fun to break a little. He did have other things to do.

"Taro, such a pleasure to finally meet one of my son's more...notorious friends." her tone was lightly bantering but her eyes were promising him pain. She had heard of this fiend that repeatedly tried to kill her child. He didn't even have the slight honor to help him in his time of need even though her son would undoubtably help him. This was also the beast who hurt Ranma and Kat badly enough that Shampoo almost killed her future daughter-in-law and spirited away her son. Even if she couldn't beat this honorless wretch she would hold him off long enough for Kat and Sora to get a head start. Hopefully she could wound him bad enough to ease their battle. He slipped back just a fraction as he tightened up his stance. At least the fool was a wary one as well he should be.

"Friend huh? Wow lady you have a demented sense of friendship. Then again your son's best friend is always trying to kill him so I guess you're more clueless then I thought. Too bad, it might have been more fun if you more aware. One splash with cold water and I'll be invincible." he smirked never seeing the throwing needle that knocked his canteen away from his side. Taro spared a shocked look to his fallen water 'What do people have against my canteen?' he thought idly before he was forced to frantically leap back. He was almost too late as the shallow cut across his chest gave mute testament to. His eyes blazed as he rushed at her with full speed.

Taro was impossibly fast, almost as fast as her son, but she wouldn't let his victory be an easy one. Using hard won knowledge and experience she managed to avoid his opening shot, a sudden uppercut that would have rung her chimes permanently, which she countered with a sharp cut along his forearm. His look of shock was priceless and was the perfect set up for the blow to the temple he would take when she brought the pommel of her sword back around. But it turned out to be a trap. The blow never landed as he spun away from her, bringing his foot up in mid spin, and sending her off into the ornamental pond. Nodoka stood up with her blade still held at ready but it was clear the blow pained her greatly.

His eyebrow raised at the fact she was still standing. This might actually be fun after all. The kendoka loosened her sash removing the restriction on her legs and calmly stepping out of the pond without her sandals. If he was reading this correctly she had on weighted shoes. His musings were interupted by her next charge. He tried to find a way to pierce the web of steel she had woven around herself to keep him out. It was clear she wasn't trying to win only to weaken him and if he tried to run she had those damn needles to make his day worse. Cuts were getting through his defenses. He was bleeding from his forearms, his chest, his legs, and from a lucky shot across the forehead. When he leapt back she stopped to catch her breath. He would have taken advantage of it but she would undoubtably begin again and he needed the rest as much as she did. Then again she seemed more tired than him.

"So you're better than I gave ya credit for. Too bad you seem to be close to the end of your rope Mommy Saotome. It really is such a shame too. You were almost a challenge...but then again almost doesn't count." he gloated, dodging her throwing needles with ease. He would have continued to gloat but his leg suddenly locked up. His eyes traveled to the afflicted limb and stared in shock. One of her needles had stuck in the side of his knee just under the kneecap. It had angled down and apparently pinched something it shouldn't have. He looked back to the woman just in time to lunge to the side, his leg screaming in pain, but he was too pissed off to care. He ripped the needle out and flung it back at her with such speed that it stuck in her upper arm causing it to drop from loss of function. Her kimono fell open revealing her chest bandages and her hair was disheveled but her eyes were burning.

"You have forgotten one of the first rules of martial arts and that is to never underestimate an enemy." her voice was like liquid nitrogen. Taro wondered if Femboy had taught his mommy the soul of ice because it seemed as if the air was growing colder. She forced her stunned hand to grip the katana and rejoined the battle with fierce yell. Despite her startling comeback however, he now had her where he wanted her. She had driven him back far enough towards the pond that he just fell back into the blessedly cool water. Nodoka stood paralyzed by the sight of the monster which was all he needed to backhand her into the fence. The valiant woman tried to stand but found it hard to do so. Her movements were lethargic and she knew that she overextended herself. This kind of thing was for the younger generation. Her eyes turned to her tormentor, making peace with her ancestors, only to find the savage chimera engulfed in flames. The sound of many explosives going off was deafening, drowning out Taro's moo of rage and pain.

"Now that isn't the way to treat a lady you idiot." Happosai's voice cut through the scene more effectively then a katana. The terri-bull menace glared at his nemesis only to get an even more evil stare back. The diminutive Grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts was obviously livid. Taro was still feeling his injuries, to a lesser extent, and wasn't feeling up to fighting the lecherous old freak, With a moo of anger he took off into the air and flew off. Happosai grunted irritably before dropping down to tend to Nodoka's wounds.

"Master Happosai...?" she asked, sure that she was delirious from pain, but it appeared the little man had just saved her life. His usually groping little hands were gently feeling out her injuries, using the female chi he always collected to heal her battle wounds. Nodoka absently plucked out the needle from her arm, glad that it hadn't hit her throat. The stress of the day combined with her worry for the children as well as the relief of healing caused her to faint. The old lech looked tenderly upon the woman before picking her up carefully and carrying her inside.

-Tokyo Harbor-

'The drugs that Kodachi brewed up should keep him out until we get back to China' Shampoo thought gleefully as she made sure he was stowed carefully in the duffel bag. There was no captain that would allow her onboard the ship with a comatose young man even if they were from Nerima. She had money for the passage thanks to Kodachi once again. The Amazon seriously considered the co-wife idea now. It was clear that she never would have made it this far without the insane girl and there was a certain charm to her approach but this was not the time to think about that. She had to get on the ship heading for China soon. To minimize mishaps she was waiting for the crowd around the boat to thin a little from her vantage point behind some crates. The bag at her feet wiggled causing her to squeak in alarm. If he woke up he would blow their cover. When it stopped she breathed a little easier. He probably was just settling himself as if sleeping.

"Hopefully he doesn't do that until after we're in the cabin. Stupid husband causing me all this trouble. So inconsiderate." she said in Mandarin, giggling like a lunatic. Maybe Kodachi was rubbing off on her? The thought caused her some worry but also quite a bit of amusement. Her giggling increased as she stroked the bundle she would be carrying on the ship but stopped. There would be plenty of time to play later but for now she needed to leave. When she went to exit the crates only trained reflexes kept the weighted chain from striking her in the temple. She was so close! What was Mousse doing here? Wait...wasn't Mousse in a wheelchair right now at the Nekohanten...? Shampoo turned to look and saw Akane reeling in the chain.

"What violent girl want? Airen not yours now. So none of your business. Leave." Shampoo told her, her derangement making her Japanese harder to understand. The girl didn't answer, she simply caused the chain to whirr faster before releasing it with unbelievable speed. At least unbelievable to a normal person but to a trained Amazon warrior it was an easy toss. She caught it easily and wrapped her hand around it giving it a tug forcing Akane off balance.

"You're not getting away with this Shampoo!" Akane growled out as she gave the chain a sharp yank, causing the chain to bite deeply into Shampoo's hand but otherwise not even making her stumble. The beautiful Amazon shook her head in mock disappointment as she prepared to pull Akane right to her. She drew out a beautifully crafted Chinese broadsword and prepared to strike only to get knocked off her feet by Ukyou. The part-time cat tried to figure out how that had happened when Akane gave the chain a sharp pull and sent her hurtling into the crates. The short-haired girl went to give it another jerk only to find the tethered Amazon rushing her with full intent to kill. She twisted sharply to avoid the blade but a kick to the crotch dropped her to her knees. Instead of the blade she heard a clang. When Akane drew her tearful gaze up she saw a ninjato blocking the sword.

"Why not play with me instead Miss Kitty?" Konatsu drawled with deceptive mildness. Shampoo didn't waste time before slashing her sword back behind her to stop the spatula that would have crushed her. Still struggling to get loose from the violent tomboy. Her hand was bound tight in the chain and due to the pressure being exerted by her first rival she couldn't free the trapped appendage. Shampoo was trying to defend herself from Konatsu and Ukyou who seemed to have turned the whole fight into a game of cat and mouse with her being the mouse.

"This is for Ranchan you psycho!" Ukyou had enough of the game and charged in only to watch as her target somersaulted over Akane and wind the chain around her throat. It had been a risky gamble but luckily for the beleaguered Amazon Konatsu had been caught off guard by the ploy as well. Her maddened eyes were filled with glee as she jerked Akane to a standing position using the chain around her throat. The tomboy had her fingers under the chain trying to snap it but Mousse's love of well crafted weapons was coming back to haunt her.

"Not bad but not good either. Aiya! Stupid weak peoples think they got Shampoo? Now back off or Violent Girl dies. Do it!" she roared, her normally soft and sweet sounding voice was hard as diamonds and just as cutting. Ukyou and Konatsu backed up, their hands in plain sight. The Amazon began dragging Akane behind her, knowing that her foe was too oxygen deprived to fight. Even if she did try there was a sharp sword in her hand. It was the only thing she had left of her proud heritage in this damned country. She held no illusions that there would be hell to pay but the fact she brought Ranma back would soothe their ruffled feelings.

"This isn't going to help your case any Shampoo. Even if you get away from us there will be others." Ukyou warned. Konatsu was scanning for an opportunity to present itself but nothing was forthcoming. He suddenly had a flash of inspiration. All they really had to do was keep her away from the boat and that was that. She would be pissed but she wouldn't leave with Ranma. Too bad that was cold comfort in the face of their comrage dying.

"Let's get crazy." he had three seconds to stop Shampoo from killing Akane. It was all the time it took to swing that sword of hers. Three seconds. One, his hand flashed out and the sword was in motion. Two, the needle was in his hand and the sword was reaching it's target. Three, it left his hand to strike Shampoo's wrist. Four, the sword hit the ground and so did Akane. Shampoo was clutching her injured wrist. Konatsu breathed a sigh of relief. That little bit alone mentally drained him. Ukyou was already on the asault with her spatula held low in the tradition of samurai warriors before slashing it upward and into Shampoo's rib cage. The cat girl almost went into the water but warrior reflexes kicked in and she skidded to a halt. Her eyes were wild and glowing red. Her pupils became feline slits.

"W-what the hell...? N-neko-ken?" Ukyou exclaimed in shock and horror. The Neko-ken was taught by taking the trainee and throwing them into a pit of starving cats repeatedly until they went insane. It was the ultimate berserker technique. Had Shampoo's mind been pushed to the point where it just snapped and left this in it's place? She tried to hold firm with Konatsu beside her but it was all she could do not to panic.

"Miyah...Hiss!" Shampoo let out a loud feline yodel and lunged for her tormentors. There would be no Akane calling this kitty to her lap but maybe a dunk in the water would help? Then again she was moving too fast to be hit. Ukyou's battle spatula was slashed to pieces as was Konatsu's ninjato. Her hands were a blur and in their wake was left bleeding cuts and gashes before Shampoo did a backflip and kicked them both in the jaw sending them hurtling painfully into the wall. The cat girl was about to finish them off when an anchor caught her in the chest and launched her in the opposite direction. The trio of warriors looked to who did that and stared. Sora Hibiki had arrived with pain on her mind and an anchor over her shoulder. The other person standing beside her was Kat, her eyes glowing blue as she opened herself up to the dragon lines of the planet.

"I think this kitty needs to be put down, don't you think Kat?" Sora asked mildly only to notice that her friend wasn't beside her. A terrible snarl like from a wolf had erupted from her throat and Kat was on the attack. The neko Shampoo was on her feet in an instant, the only sign that she had been hit was the shattered masonry of the wall she collided with. Her gaze found Kat's and she leapt in as well. Strikes too fast to see were unleashed upon the other, terrible damage was being inflicted on the other but neither showed signs of injury. Kat was glowing blue and snarling like a madbeast while Shampoo was glowing red and hissing hatefully into the face of her foe. The two berserkers leapt apart and crouched, staring at one another.

"Shit...not good at all..." Sora said as she carefully gathered up the injured combatants and got them out of the attack zone. When Shampoo took a run at her she left herself open for a jump kick to the side of the head that almost tore it off. The neko girl rolled to her feet, shaking her head from the blow but otherwise ready to continue. Kat was ready to lunge once again and then the two of them leapt together. The only that could be seen was flashes of red and blue clashing off of one another. The ground around them was being torn apart from the sonic pressure of their high speed blows. Despite Kat's efforts however she was slowly being worn down even if Shampoo was showing signs of injury.

The Hibiki girl grabbed one of Konatsu's kunai and brought it up. She drew in her power and noticed the blade light up with the soft white of pure ki. Sora brought the kunai back and threw all her power behind the toss. The ninja weapon sailed unerringly towards Shampoo's head only to be sliced out of the air by the neko claws. Even though the vessel had been destroyed the pent up ki was still there and blasted into the maddened warrior's head like a wrecking ball. If her target had been conscious after the attack she would have been reminded of a Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan. The girl smiled and fell on her ass.

"Ranchan wake up you jackass!" Ukyou had pulled Ranma out of the constricting duffel bag only to find him still unconscious. Kat padded over on all fours and licked his face gently. She whined softly before nudging him with her head. The chef backed off cautiously since she didn't want to be in Kat's crosshairs by accident. Konatsu placed his arm around her shoulders and sat back holding her. The scene would have been perfect if a damn chimera hadn't decided that now would be a good time to crash the party.

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Please no flames over Nodoka okay? I sort of stretched things a lot I know but there was logic to it. The most dangerous animal in nature is a mother defending her young. Nodoka was defending her young as she saw it and dipped deep into adrenaline. Adrenaline is our friend. As for Kat? It's just plain old berserking. She unconsciously patterns her berserk after the strongest animal she knows well which is her wolf form. How will the tired grew deal with Taro? Will Ranma actually wake up in time? Stay tuned for more next time! Ja ne


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2.

Author's Notes: I'm back with another heaping helping of fanfiction goodness. That sounded so cool when I thought it up but it's corny to read. Thus I shall keep it to my eternal shame, mortification, and amusement. If that didn't make sense that's okay. Welcome to the conclusion of the Kidnapped Ranma story arc.

To Dumbledork: Adrenaline is a beautiful thing which is what allowed them to shake off the gas. Ranma had been carried off and their lives were in direct danger. There isn't much a person can't do under those circumstance.

Enough with the notes. We're moving right alone now so on with the show!

The New Girl on the Block

Chapter 12

Surf and Turf

The scene below was like something out of a martial arts horror movie. Taro was just glad that he wasn't down there when the berserkers clashed. He had done enough to both of the psycho chicks that they would have torn him apart. The mad creature was far from stupid. He understood his limits even in his beast form. Taro circled over the battlefield waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The girl with the headband was familiar but he couldn't place her. The only one thinking rationally and who was healthy was her so she would be the first to fall. Then again it might be better to crush the ones who couldn't fight back first. Decisions, decisions.

"Femboy's mommy sure took a chunk out of my hide. Oh well, I'll get my pound of flesh from these jokers. Shouldn't be too hard. How did the pretty kitty learn the Neko-ken though? Feh, it doesn't matter to me and the pigtailed nuisance is still out cold. Good job doing my work for me!" he would have let out a bellow of triumph but he also knew what happened to villains who let their cards on the table.

The battle down below went heavily into the pyrotechnics making him happier that he was up here and not down there. The strange girl was holding a kunai over her head and was making it glow white. What the hell kind of attack used white ki? All he had seen was the Moko Takabisha and Shi Shi Hokodan. When the cat girl slashed it out of the air he groaned in disgust. An amateur mistake unless you've never seen the Neko-ken before. Then the blast went off and gave Shampoo her own little crater to recline in.

"Yeesh...I'm gone a short while and all the freaky tricks start to crop up. I hope she can't use more than one of those." he mused. As the group gathered around Femboy to wake him up he decided that this was his best time to strike. With a ferocious bellow he flew down at the weakened warriors, scattering them all with a vicious roundhouse punch that sent their bodies flying into walls, through crates, and augering into the harbor walk. He gave a bovine smirk as he found himself standing above Ranma with no one around to save him. Yes, this was good.

Kat was the unfortunate one who was sent like a drill into the ground. She was brutally snapped from her berserker rage by the terrible rain roaring thorugh her body. Her head came up weakly to see what had happened and sucked in a breath. There was Toidi Taro standing over her fiance! She tried to move but all she succeeded in doing was injuring herself more. Her body refused to respond to her wishes.

"Get away from him you jerk!" she shouted at him. Once again hoping against hope that someone would get involved. Why couldn't the Sailor Senshi be real? Why couldn't they be rescued at the last minute by Ultraman or something? This sucked! All the good heroes were in anime. She brought her hands up, channeling her ki into her palms. It was the only thing she could think of. She had heard of the Moko Takabisha, a blast of confidence infused ki, but she wasn't feeling all that confident. Her emotions were descending into a sickly haze as she realized that this was stupid. There was nothing she could do even if she could harness her ki well. Tears streamed down her face as she unintentionally unleashed a Shi Shi Hokodan right into Taro's chest. To add insult to injury, it wasn't even strong enough to scorch the fur before she passed out.

Akane was pissed off at Taro for throwing her through the damn crates. She smelled like fish sausage and it stunk terribly. The violent girl managed to get back to her feet even if she was shaky. Taro was distracted by the bright glow around Kat's hand so she had a few moment's to weigh the possibilites. After seeing those ki attacks in action she knew that Kat didn't have enough built up to do the job but that was okay. The violent girl channeled her ki into the chain subconsciously as she twirled it slowly. She was careful to keep the noise down. As the blast fired she struck out sharply with the chain, catching one of his horns and giving it a sharp tug. A sound like a gunshot echoed across the wharf as his horn was crushed and ripped out, blood flying everywhere as his ear was taken with it.

"What the hell...?" Akane was staring at the bloody wreck on the ground with a queasy feeling. She had meant to rope the cowboy not maim him. An infuriated moo drew her attention back to the situation at hand. The big oaf's fist was cocked back just seconds before he launched forward, intent on knocking her block off. She did a quick turn to the side, sweeping the chain out and catching him around his left leg and burying the sharp horn into his inner thigh, nearly castrating the bully. His startled moo was quickly followed by overwhelming rage as he gave his captured leg a sharp tug. Akane was helpless to stop herself as she was suddenly pulled violently toward what would surely be her doom.

Ukyou was pinned to the wall do to how deeply her body was embedded in it. She looked to the battle and saw what was happening. They were still fighting, not giving up. Well she couldn't let her sisters in arms down as she forcefully pulled her arms loose from the stonework, dust falling down upon her but she didn't care. She picked up the remains of her battle spatula and charged at the beast. As she got closer she reflected on what she was going to do and grinned evilly. She always wondered who shoved the stick up his ass well...guess it was her.

"Try this on for size!" she cried out. As Taro was preparing to finish off Akane, he failed to noticed the chef's appearance, but he did know she was there in a rather big way. Ukyou shoved the handle up his rectum with enough force to kill a lesser being. The sinister chimera let out a high-pitched moo while Akane corrected her flight into a dragon kick right between the legs. The evil minotaur let out a pathetic little shrieking sound before clobbering them both in the side of their heads with both fists. The two girls went soaring off in opposite directions. Ukyou landed beside Kat and Akane flew into the harbor.

Konatsu stared in stunned amazement at the ferocity of the attacks. He had never seen a spatula wielded in such a manner and frankly never hoped to see it again. The male kunoichi was about to cheer in relief before it died a horrible death. The two girls were sent flying. That wasn't a problem in an of itself since he knew both girls could take a lot of punishment. The problem came in when it was clear that Akane was not surfacing under her own power. Who in Nerima didn't know that Akane swam like a brick with lead weights? He managed to pull himself from the wreckage of the boxes he landed in and rushed towards the water. Only his superior reflexes kept him from being mashed into paste by Taro.

"She'll die you heartless bastard! Let me through! I have no wish to fight you!" Konatsu was shouting as he dodged about frantically. The chimera was enraged beyond belief and had grown strong beyond belief. He was trying to get away but couldn't. Everytime he went for the water Taro would jump in front of him. His eyes fell on Ranma's unconscious form. Suddenly he had an idea. If it didn't work well...it was a gamble. A martial artist of Ranma's calibre should be able to respond to any situation especially if he's in danger. He prayed that the girls would forgive him for this but he focused his ki into his legs, and booted Ranma into the water! Taro actually stopped his attack in complete amazement. His inattention cost him his other horn as Konatsu tried to slash him across the eyes but only a quick step back prevented that. Konatsu's prayers went with Ranma as the battle was joined again.

The anchor that Sora had wielded was currently resting on her chest uncomfortably. It was a good thing she was Hibiki or it might have killed her. As it was she was sure her ribs were bruised if not cracked. She pushed the heavy metal thing off of herself and stood up on shaky legs. The anchor was still as inviting as it was when she went at Shampoo with it so she picked it back up. Her gaze swept the battlefield quickly just in time to see Konatsu punt Ranma into the water. Now she would have flipped out in true Hibiki fashion but then she saw a redhead pop up to the surface briefly. Her ears were ringing so bad she could just make out "Akane" and "water" from Konatsu. The one they were trying to save turned pale and dived underwater quickly.

"Can't swim I guess. At least when she gets back she can help us." Sora commented as she vaulted in just in time to bury the anchor in Taro's back. His wings instantly drooped but his backfist was anything but slow. She braced for impact and almost went into the water as well if she hadn't wrapped her legs around his arm. He swung her at Konatsu who linked hands with her. Taro's own momentum swung Konatsu into the side of his head. The genius shinobi had time enough to turn it into a powerful kick to the side of the monster's severely damaged head. The raging beast charged blindly forward and crashed into a wall. His small attackers took the full brunt of the attack since they were between him and the hard surface. He stepped back and watched them fall.

"I-I'm sorry little brother...I guess I won't see ya again after all..." Sora thought weakly as she watched the chimera rear back to stomp.

-Under the harbor-

Cold water is definitely the way to awaken a Saotome aside from food. Ranma was swimming as fast as she could to reach the girl that was only dimly being felt through her ki. Akane could swim about as well as a fish if the fish had weights attached. The last thing she remembered was being in the classroom and Shampoo hitting her with a sleep point. To find herself awake and underwater was not a pleasant thing. She would have yelled at Konatsu for doing it but had to admit that the situation was desperate. He was fighting Taro alone and it looked like everyone else was out for the count. Her lungs strained but she had to continue.

"Hold on ya baka tomboy..." she thought fiercely. She was not going to lose Akane! They were just gaining a friendship and things were looking food. Why did it have to be so screwed up? Why? Why? Why why why why why...? Her mind was screaming in rage creating a whole lot of heat. She began a spiral as she caught sight of Akane. The girl was too far down to be reached in time and it was looking desperate. With the same determination that saw her through Jusendo, Ranma improvised on the spot. She unleashed the heated energy she held within her body into the water and drew on the Soul of Ice. The spiral completed, she mentally called out "Hiryuu Shoten Ha!" and the famous tornado once again responded to it's Mistress' call turning into a waterspout. It shot Akane up from the bottom and right into the redhead's waiting arms.

"Akane! Hang out!" Ranma thought as they were shot out violently from the top of the water spout. She landed on the wharf easily but was still a little dizzy from her trip. A strange sound reached her ears and she looked down the harbor in time to see someone she didn't expect to see there. It was just too unreal. Especially after everything that had happened.

"R-Ryoga?"

-Mountains in California-

Alexander the Great was proud of his newest student. The Lost Boy was a very quick study. It had been an intense day of training so far and he had already run out of things to teach him. He couldn't tell the Hibiki boy that yet. There was much more he could teach him but not until his honor and soul was cleansed. He wanted that day to come soon for his school's sake but more importanly for Ryoga's sake.

"Good job Ryoga, go wash up." he ordered his student who finished the kata he had been working on. Ryoga bowed to one of the few people who had shown him genuine respect even with what he did. That was humbling for the Lost Boy. He gave the man a quick "Hai sensei" before heading for the lake where he knew Alex was practicing. She always had water on for him to clean up with. Such a considerate girl. Little Alex reminded him of Kasumi actually. As he was on his way to water he suddenly stopped.

"Hey Ryoga, what's up?" Alex asked him cheerfully only to stop at the look of desperation on his face. It wasn't unusual for him to have these spells she noticed but something was definitely off about this. His eyes were flickering from hazel to red. It was a frightening look as even his fangs seemed to elongate. If someone had said he looked like a wild boar she would have agreed wholeheartedly.

"Apologize to Marx-sensei for me. I need to go." he grated out. His mind was full of flames and his target was Taro. He had no idea how he would get there but he would. The Lost Boy had seen his sister about to be stomped on by the maniac minotaur. He picked a direction and ran that way, his desperation giving him insane power. To Alex it appeared as if he had run behind a tree and failed to come out on the other side.

"Be safe Ryoga." the child whispered before running back to camp to tell her father.

-Tokyo Harbor-

Sora and Konatsu watched the foot come down in slow motion. What should have been a rescue mission was turning into a fight for their lives. And they were losing. The insane creature above them was obviously anticipating the damage he was going to cause but it seemed as if it was not to be. A large form slammed into the killer chimera with all the force of a freight train sending his form skidding down the harbor walk. The Hibiki girl looked up to her rescuer but it was Konatsu who said his name.

"Ryoga?" the confused shinobi asked. He looked to Sora who had the biggest smile on her face. There was no time to ponder specifics as Taro came charging back. He used the last of his strength to get the two of them away from what promised to be Armaggedon. The Lost Boy met the charge head on by grabbing the fiendish freak by the head, and using finesse instead of strength, hurled him off to the side. That was definitely a new trick since the old Ryoga couldn't throw Taro around like that. The Hibiki child took stock of all the people down and injured with growing fury. When he didn't see Akane he automatically assumed the worst.

"Shi Shi Hokodan" he said with his hands out. He knows his sensei said not to use it but this was a dire emergency. The fiendish beast had more stamina than him and was stronger. The only thing working on his side right now was surprise. The ball of depression energy roared out and sent the minotaur down field even further. He charged forward, unleashing blow upon punishing blow at full speed to the monster's abdomen. It wasn't the Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken but it was damn fast. Taro was being held up by the force of the blows alone, he couldn't bring his arms up to block. The shining eyes of his tormentor seemed to sap his will to fight.

"I'm gonna knock ya to the moon ya bastard!" he roared as he brought an uppercut from deep down south right into the thing's jaw. He actually picked Taro up off the ground as a glowing ball of shining blue energy coallesced at the contact point before firing off straight upwards. The monster was tossed high in the air before landing down on the anchor in his back, forcing it in deeper. If he was turned back now it would kill him. Just as Ryoga was advancing a waterspout erupted from off to the left bearing Ranma with Akane in her arms.

"R-Ryoga?" Ranma exclaimed. Her old nemesis gave her a strangely cocky smirk. The pigtailed martial artist was never so happy to see the pig boy before now. She was getting ready to return the smile when she saw Taro rise up behind Ryoga. Ranma was beyond pissed.

"Moko Takabisha!" she launched her signature attack over the Lost Boy's shoulder. The blast so close it singed the white gi he was wearing only to blast the overgrown cow right in the snout. Taro staggered back, trying to recover, only to have Ryoga punch him in the nose and grab the ring sticking out of there. Taro had never questioned why he had a nose ring before but now he was especially when Hibiki ripped it out.

He looked to either side of him as his tormentors were slowly joined by the walking wounded. They were all radiating battle auras even the ones who shouldn't be! This was looking bad for him since he knew that if he stayed they would be dining on him tonight. He let out a loud moo that translated to "Saotome Final Attack! Run Away!" Hey, everyone had used it at least once now it was his moment. He took off running so fast he didn't even realize he had fallen into the harbor but even that didn't stop him. The powerful minotaur immediately began swimming. New York was nice this time of year and didn't have crazed martial artists out for chimera steaks.

Ryoga spat on the ground at the coward's retreat but was inwardly glad. It meant that there was less chance of anyone else being hurt. Since studying with Marx-sensei his attitude had become much more focused. He could still cut loose but now he was weighing his actions. He turned to look at the assembled martial artists. Ranma was openly smiling at him in greeting. Akane was also smiling, she wouldn't be after he told her the truth, so he savored it. Konatsu and Ukyou appeared to be grateful then again they were both slumped over one another. Kat was using Ranma to support her. Her gaze was no longer condemning which was a load off his mind. His eyes went to the last person there. The one he was trying to regain the approval of. If Akane never wanted to see him again he could live with it as long as this person still cared.

Sora was staring at him with tears in her eyes and smile on her face. She hobbled towards him only to start to collapse, but he was there to catch her. His big sister kissed him on the cheek, crying softly. He held her to his chest, crying as well. If there was anything good to come of this whole mess it was that he finally found his sister. The Hibiki girl looked to the others with a small smile. Ukyou noticed Shampoo, awake and trying to crawl away, and used some of the cold water squeezed from Ranchan's shirt to "cat" her. She then picked the indignant feline up by the scruff.

"You're not getting away from us Miss Kitty." she said with a wicked grin. Since they were heading in that direction anyway, the victory party was going to be held at the Nekohanten. Kat was getting ready to go over and give Shampoo a piece of her mind when she slid on the wet harbor ground and went into the water as well. A disgruntled neo-wolf popped to the surface with a grunt of annoyance. It was enough to break the tension and everyone laughed at the sight even as Ranma and Ryoga pulled the wolf out. Kat was mindful not to shake out her coat all over the Lost Boy. Sora had told her the truth about her little brother. Once everyone was at a safe distance she shook her whole body so hard the droplets splashed over everyone but Ryoga. Small miracles.

"Well...think you're up for for a passenger Kat?" Ranma asked. The wolf tilted her head in confusion before Ranma pointed to Ukyou. Both her and Konatsu were so weakened that the only thing keeping them standing was that they were leaning against one another. She would have shrugged but her shoulders were built wrong. The chef settled gingerly on the massive beast's back and held on. The war party left the scene with Ukyou still holding their prisoner close to her chest. The cat girl didn't even dare breath especially considering how big the mount was and what those teeth might do to her.

"Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea..." she thought despairingly as they left the harbor.

-Nekohanten-

The party was in full swing at the Nekohanten. It was a surprisingly energetic one considering that most of the people celebrating were injured in some form or another. Shampoo was forced to watch the celebration from her cage knowing that they were making light of her loss. It wouldn't have been so bad for the cat girl if she didn't have to watch it. She looked to Mousse who had taken it upon himself to make certain she stayed in the cage this time. He had even thoughtfully reinforced it with barbed wire. "How considerate of him," she thought with some heat. It wasn't fair that she had to go back to China while the blind fool was able to live it up here without her around. Damn them all! She would have continued ranting but her heart just wasn't in it. Shampoo would just go down like a warrior with dignity. It was the only thing these bastards left her with.

Cologne looked to her caged granddaughter with a mixture of sadness and perverse pride. Even if she had broken the laws by defying the Matriarch she had shown true ambition. It was the first time she had truly done something on her own and almost succeeded. While it was wrong of her to do what she did, at least she had gone out with a bang. The old crone chuckled softly at that even if her heart was aching. It ached for the child that was now trapped in a cage of her own devising. She looked to the other teens as they laughed happily. Even with the injuries some of them sustained they were still able to smile. Pretty soon though it would be time to end the secrets. She looked to Ryoga, one of her star pupils, and knew he was gathering his courage. Hopefully it wouldn't spoil everything the teens were now trying to work for.

Ranma sat beside Kat with one arm around her shoulders and another shoveling food in his mouth. Between bites he would take notice of the other people around him. They were all together as one group. Laughing, smiling, and generally having a good time. Is this what they had been missing all this time? Rarely did they ever have a common goal or a common foe. If nothing else, Taro should be thanked for bringing them together like this. With the heat of the Fiancee Wars all but over it appeared as if they were gravitating together. Taro just happened to have become the gravity they needed. He looked to the beautiful girl sitting beside him. The warrior who had gone into a battle with Shampoo the first time with the odds stacked against her. Who once again took on Shampoo to save his worthless hide once again. Every time she ran the risk of permanent injury or death. She looked to him with a smile. Without a word he kissed her. Doing something he should have done a long time ago with Akane. He was not going to screw up this time.

The transwolf was talking animatedly with Ukyou, Sora, and Akane as the boys stuffed their faces. It was such a warm feeling knowing that they were now friends or at least firmly on their way. Listening to the girls talk was soothing on so many levels. There was a friendly rivalry brewing between them which was fine by her. To hear Sora tell the tale it was Kat who did everything. The girl with the dual color eyes blushed prettily while denying it was her alone. The other two were reacting with mock indignation to the older girl's pronouncements. If nothing else then these strong bonds would hold them together. According to Akane she was now an official member of the Nerima Wrecking Crew and so was Sora. Her eyes grew a little teary when she felt a pair of warm eyes on her. She turned to look at Ranma and gave him a smile that was only for him when he leaned in and kissed her. Kat was stunned at the PDA but returned it with quiet intensity quickly blocking out the rest of the room.

Akane was laughing at something that Ukyou said when the chef went still. Judging by the glassy eyes whatever she was looking at had caused her to go into shock so she decided to look as well. It was all she could do not to go into shock as well. There was Ranma enthusiastically kissing a girl. Normally this would be time for a cry of pervert but this was his fiancee for crying out loud. Now if they were doing more than kissing that would warrant the mallet. Maybe not. Kat was a friend now and so was Ranma. Did you smash friends flat with mallets? Of course not! Then again you shouldn't smash fiances either. She gave Ukyou a hard pinch on the arm causing her to almost leap out her seat with a yelp. The chef glared at her only to be disarmed by an almost pixish smile. It was fun to tease people she concluded.

Ukyou wanted to be mad at Akane. She really did, but then again she couldn't bring herself to be angry. The chef looked to Konatsu only to see her kunoichi laughing his head off at Ryoga's fierce blush. The crossdressing shinobi looked so happy and alive as opposed to his normal demure exterior. It brought a rush of warmth to her face when she remembered him wearing her uniform. She had worn that same uniform the next day in the belief that maybe it held his scent. Despite all logic it had. A peculiar little scent that reminded her of the shop but also somehow of the teahouse he had fled from. Was what she felt for Ranma merely a crush? Was she that immature that she turned a schoolgirl crush into a war? He was her best friend and she had treated him like crap but despite it all he kept coming back. It gave the chef pause. Once again her eyes went to Konatsu before staring at the table with a fierce blush. He had caught her watching him! It felt nice but mostly she wanted to die. Especially considering the laughter was now at her expense.

Konatsu flashed a mock growl at the other people at the table. It had the effect of taking the heat off of Ukyou and getting everyone to laugh at him. He usually hated being the center of attention but for once it felt so good. The crossdresser had finally realized what he had been missing. It wasn't just love but acceptance. For the longest time he had been on the outside of the chaos. Never helping them out or starting trouble. It felt so good to be acknowledged. Truly this was what he needed. He looked back to Ukyou again surreptitiously, more discreet since he was caught once already. His gaze went back to Ranma who had finally come up for air. Konatsu gave the pigtailed boy a grin and thanked him. When he looked confused, the male kunoichi explained that if Ranma had never shown up at the teahouse then he never would have met everyone. Just like he expected, Ranma waved off his thanks with a laugh and a smile. He was more modest than people gave him credit for. He truly owed Ranma for the friends he had.

Mousse was also looking at Ranma. Half of him was still angry at him but the fear was definitely there. He had seen first hand what the pigtailed boy was capable of when he was pushed. His thoughts turned to Shampoo. The reason he knew his rival's anger so intimately. If he could go back in time and tell his younger self anything it would be to never get involved with Shampoo. His fellow Amazon had used him for the last time. He sat back in his wheelchair; the wheels creaking to remind him of their presence. Mousse looked to Sora. The one who had hurt Shampoo and who had indirectly introduced him to a whole new dimension of pain. The fanged girl was beautiful which only served to emphasize the crime he had almost commited. It wasn't a beauty of face or form, but of the spirit. She was truly more worthy of praise then Shampoo. He went to turn to go back into the kitchen only to find a hand grabbing his wheelchair. Involuntarily he looked to the person holding his chair and faltered. Sora, the one who he didn't deserve to look at, was smiling at him. There was nothing he could do since hurting her was out. He let himself be pulled back to the table.

Sora was far from stupid and more intuitive than most Hibikis. She felt Mousse's guilt ridden gaze on her and her heart went out to him. He had only gone after her because the cat girl had used him. True, he had made his choice, but the Amazon bitch had given him a push. It was because of Shampoo that he had stared death right in the face and it was a redhead with blue eyes. The massacre, one couldn't even call it a battle, replayed in her head with agonizing slowness. She shivered at the memory. Her brother absently put his arm around her shoulders as if knowing she needed comfort. She noticed Mousse trying to leave and quickly snagged his chair. The Chinese boy looked to her shyly. She gave him a reassuring smile and pulled him back to the table. He gave her a scared look. No, not her, her brother. Apparently Akane had whispered to him about what Mousse had tried to do. It took less effort to calm her brother down then usual. Actually Kat wanted to know where Ryoga had been which was a good question. All eyes turned to the true hero of the hour in anticipation of what he had to say.

"Where have I been? I've been in San Franciso, California learning from a new sensei." he told them. The looks on their faces prompted him to continue. He took a drink of the cold tea sitting there and sat it down too close to the edge. It didn't fall which prompted him to nudge it gently back onto the table more.

"Actually I got a chance to meet Kat's father and little sister. I'm currently a student of the Marx school. Oh yeah, they send their best since we all figured I would wander off eventually so they wanted me to give you a message. It was the strangest thing but the meditation exercises and the katas helped me to center myself much better than before. I had just finished a strenuous kata when I saw my sister and Konatsu about to be flattened. I didn't think I just ran as fast as I could and somehow found myself at the harbor. Well the rest is history." he shrugged with a laugh. The laugh was a tad nervous. He didn't need to be a genius to know that this was the perfect chance to fix his honor and help Akane salvage hers.

"You...you're a student of my father's school...?" that for some reason made Kat feel pretty good. If anyone could help the Lost Boy it was her father.

"Yep. Listen...before I chicken out...Akane? Could I speak to you?" he asked nervously. The sound of chopsticks hitting bowls was nigh deafening. Even Cologne fell off her staff. The silence was not even broken by breathing as they waited for the victory feast to turn into a bloodbath. Akane looked to Ryoga and smiled at him.

"Sure thing Ryoga. What do you need?" she asked. Her curiousity was obvious but obviously she wasn't picking up on the vibes. Everyone else was starting to look for the fallout shelter but there was no way to run without being obvious. It was with some fear that they sat there watching the horror movie unfold. Mousse felt even more vulnerable because if his chair tipped he was screwed.

"Could we talk in private?" Ryoga asked, not at all oblivious to the looks beinf exchanged. He knew what to expect. It strangely gave him a sense of peace. He was finally going to do the right thing even if he was killed in the process. He was all set to recieve his punishment. The Lost Boy noticed the relieved looks on everyone's faces at his suggestion. It almost made him laugh, almost.

"Whatever it is can be said in front of our friends, right?" her bright smile was completely guileless but he sort of got the impression she was somehow laughing. It wasn't the normal paranoid feeling he usually got but a different one. Somehow he knew something was going to go very differently then he anticipated. It was as if since seeing his sister his danger some sealed portion of his mind had been unlocked. The unlocked portion was still small but was screaming at him to tread cautiously. He gave a silent apology to the unfortunate people who would soon he caught in the crossfire.

"Well, this is going to come as a shock to you. This is a secret so private that no word of this can leave this room. Ranma has known since the beginning. Don't blame him for this since it was my own idea to continue. I used his honor and abused yours because I was a coward. Well, I am finally going to make things right. Even if you hate me forever at least you will know. I will not ask you to forgive me Akane. What I will ask is for you to not be mad at anyone else but me." he took a few deep breaths. This was much harder than he thought it would be. He looked to Akane. It was do or die time.

"I..." the silence deepened "am..." the tension grew unbearably "P-chan." he concluded quietly. The reactions were varied all around the table. He looked to Ranma and saw amazement before getting a discreet thumbs up. His gaze traveled to Kat who gave him a respectful nod. He looked to Ukyou and was amazed at the slight smile he recieved. Konatsu gave him a small shinobi salute. He looked to his sister and almost melted at the proud smile she wore. When he looked to Akane he saw her head lowered and...

"I know." she said. Those two words destroyed the tension filled stillness. It was simultaneously freeing and terrifying. Ryoga stared in absolute amazement at what she said. The rest of the NWC also stared at the short-haired girl. Even Cologne was rattled by what Akane had just admitted to. If she had known all this time then the damage to her honor would be irreparable. The Lost Boy slumped back in his chair. The clatter of his chair broke the silence and everyone began asking questions at the same time. Nothing could be understood until the sound of Cologne's staff hitting the floor broke them from their arguement.

"Why?" it was clear that there was more to that one word question than just that. It was short and succinct but the ramifications of the answer had everyone waiting with baited breath.

"He is a nice guy. I-It became obvious during the whole incident where Ryoga and P-chan had the same mark on their stomach. I felt stupid for being so blind. Once I saw that I began putting other things together like the bandanna, he would get lost, and Ranma's teasing. I thought everyone was laughing at me but then it occured to me that Ryoga never had anyone stable to rely on. We didn't know he had a sister and she was pretty much absent so he was alone. I wanted to play pound the pervert but I also realized he never once looked at me while changing. If he did see something he would faint dead away. That's why I let it continue. I was waiting for him to get up the courage to tell me himself. To see if he respected me as much as he claimed. The truth is late but at least it came." Akane gave him a smile and Ryoga smiled back, tentatively. No one saw the mallet form in her hand until Ryoga was pasted into the wall. A few seconds later Ranma was in a matching crater beside him.

"They had that one coming." oddly enough it was Kat and Sora who said that.

-Saotome home-

Kat supported Ranma's weakened form to the front door. The girl was in better shape since her natural ability for taking ki from the planet let her recover so well. Her fiance was in bad shape because of the blasting he took at Akane's mallet. Nerima never ceased to amaze her. She gave her fiance a gentle squeeze. He looked to her with a smile.

"So she knew all along...and made us all look like fools." he commented idly. The smile had not left his face since they left. She knew what he thought was so funny. Akane had known for a long time about Ryoga and let them tap dance around one another. He wanted to be angry at being used but then she punctured it with a turnabout. She had a point. Her honor was the one being abused and kicked around. No one had the courage to tell her the truth. Her honor had come out second best. It made him upset but he was still smiling.

"She had her reasons. Like you had yours for not telling her. It's a good thing she's so forgiving. One smash with a mallet and all is right with the world. No offense Ranchan but if it had been my honor being run through the sewer I would have beaten you to a pulp." she told him causing the boy to go a little more still beside her. She gave his arm a squeeze to let him know it was okay but it did give him food for thought. The two of them stepped in the door.

"Tadaima!" the chorused before looking at each other in surprise and then laughing.

"Okaeri..." filtered in from the living room. The pitch sounded far too weak for either of their liking. Ranma found new strength as the two of them rushed in to see the Saotome matriarch laid out on the couch. She was covered in bandages on her left side but could still move apparently. Ranma's teeth ground together at the sight. Kat echoed the sentiment. It was then that Happosai entered the room bearing a tray with a tea service. Someone followed him into the room causing both youths to pause. Ranma was the one to voice their disbelief.

"Pop?"

End Chapter

Author's Notes: Yes, the Ranma is Kidnapped arc is finally concluded! I hope you forgive me for some artistic license. I know Ryoga is not strong enough to hammer on Taro unassisted but I was also taking into all the other damage done to him into consideration. As for Akane knowing about P-chan? It was funny in the series but even I have a hard time suspending disbelief on anyone being that stupid. Besides I figured that the chaos created from her actually knowing would be greater. About Konatsu. He does not see enough use in any of the fanfics I've read save for "Ranma: The Second Time Around". Great fic by the way. I suggest you read it. I'm not really a pro-Akane person if this fic is any indication but I can see how it would work. That is if both fathers were locked up somewhere. Okay, I know that the notes got a little long but thank you for bearing with me. Until next time minna, ja ne!


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